Kurogane
by DemonLover8115
Summary: The elven kingdom of Fairy Tail is at war. A lone maiden takes the chance at their only hope against the demons that seek to plague their lands- a cruel, unyielding dragon Lord. Will aide come when they most need it? Will the young elf survive her fate at the hands of the iron dragon? Warning- adult content! GaLe, some NaLu and Jerza.
1. Prologue

**New project! This is a request fic for HeartGold. It's GaLe based in an AU world set roughly in a mythical version of medieval times. I'll include some other pairings, though I'm still trying to decide which ones- most likely Jerza and NaLu, but they'll be side couples for the most part since this is meant to focus almost entirely on GaLe. This will also be much darker than my other stories because of the nature of the plot and Gajeel and Levy's relationship in it. I'll warn you all now- THERE WILL BE LEMONS! I highly recommend anyone not comfortable with explicit and graphic adult content to turn away now! Also, Gajeel will have his Phantom Lord persona throughout the story- so that means he will have an abusive nature, particularly early on; he will soften a little as the plot goes, but not by much.  
**

**Summary: The elven kingdom of Fairy Tail is at war. Out numbered and desperate, a single maiden from the King's royal court heads alone to the neighboring kingdom of a dark and terrifying man known to have the power of a dragon. In exchange for troops and aide, she offers herself as compensation, willing to bear a powerful heir to the ruling Lord. Up against the darkest of demons, even a cruel and brutal dragon appears as a shining ray of hope.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail or the characters, they belong to Hiro Mashima.**

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**_Prologue_**

A sheer cliff, waves crashing beneath sounding the dangers should one get too close to the edge. A thick forest bordering the peninsula of this grand land, silent and dreary, turning away even the most daring and brave.

These were all that stood in her way.

A nervous mare as her only companion, trudging apprehensively towards the brink of certain death to catch sight of her destination- the large, dark castle loaming at the opposite end of the cape, just as imposing and threatening at the sharp fjord it was perched on. Clouds overcast the whole area, cooling the air as a storm blew in, the seas below her horse's hooves churning even more relentlessly than normal, the monstrous fortress becoming all the more dangerous in the ensuing darkness.

Pulling her black cloak over her head, she hid her face away as she turned the jittery horse towards the mass of trees before her.

She wasn't daring. She wasn't brave. But she had to get there. She had to save her kingdom. Therefore, she had no other choice but to face the cruel monster residing in that castle. She had no other choice but to forsake her freedom for the good of her people.

With the sounds of war behind her, the sounds of silence ahead of her; she took her first step towards her cruel fate, her first steps towards the kingdom of the one known as Kurogane.

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**Review, please!**


	2. Pursuit

**Sorry this update took so long, I'd say you can probably expect that with this story. I'm also keeping these chapter short, that may help me update more often, plus with the genre and tone, I feel it more fitting to keep these simple but intense. Anyway, hope you all enjoy. Read and review as always!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail or the characters, they belong to Mashima-sensei.**

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Galloping, galloping, galloping.

The tree limbs were crashing into her face, cutting her fair skin, leaves tangling in her hair. Her mare was panting beneath her, only her will pushing the horse to escape from the men chasing them down.

She could hear them. Shouting, cursing, laughing. A mangled cacophony of sounds as the mercenaries lunged at her, attacking her relentlessly as she wove through the trees. An arrow flew passed her head, flying close enough to tear the cloth of her cloak, dislodging it from its precarious perch atop her head. Her wild blue locks blew free, her creamy, pale skin practically radiating out in the dark forest. The very brightness of her aura gave her pursuers a hint of her elven heritage, causing their cries demanding for her capture to grow louder and more determined.

These were undoubtedly the human mercenaries of the Lord of the lands. Kurogane commanded a fierce legion of loyal fighters, all willing to give their life for the merciless dragon reigning over their kingdom. The humans may not have the magic of elves or demons, or any other creature of legend, but their brute force and fearless savagery more than made up for the mysticism they lacked. These humans, in particular, carried strength far above the rest; they were the elites that had been hand chosen by the Lord's General to guard the borders. These men were the reason this country had managed to stay so isolated while the rest sank into the war ravaged state of the times.

An arrow piercing her shoulder brought the young maiden back to reality, forgetting her musings on the mercenaries as she let out a cry of pain. Her body fell against the back of her horse, despite the pain of her wound she clung to the mare and continued to push forward. She could not fight back, not if she wished to succeed in her mission.

Unfortunately her will wasn't enough to save her from the warrior that had managed to catch up on his own steed, the man brutally knocking her free from her saddle, sending her lithe body flying against a tree as her horse continued to run on without her. Groaning, she allowed herself to lean limply against the trunk, watching her horse escape, forgotten, as Kurogane's men began to surround her.

Heavy footsteps coming through the crowd brought her attention to the space before her, a large form stopping to tower over her injured body. She slowly lifted her head, her eyes sweeping over the armor clad form of the mercenaries' only ranking officer, meeting the steely, yet curious, gaze of Kurogane's General. The hard set face of the black panther sent shivers through her as he asked one simple question before she blacked out.

"Why are you here, Lady McGarden?"


	3. Encampment

**More dialogue in this chapter, not much, I don't want to give anything away for when Levy meets with Gajeel. Anyway, I hope you all enjoy it, even though it's another short one, but I like keeping you all guessing. :)**

**Disclaimer: Do not own Fairy Tail or the characters, they belong to Hiro Mashima.**

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She could hear their laughter, their revelry, as her eyelids slowly peeled back, her mind finally awaking after her unexpected sleep.

The young elven woman found herself in a large, plain, field tent. A glance to the side saw the open flaps leading to the mercenaries' encampment, the bonfire they were drinking around, the shouts of victory in her capture.

"So, you're awake, Lady McGarden," a deep voice stated, drawing her attention to a moving shadow in the corner, panther eyes shining from the darkness as they watched her.

The bluenette could only nod as she stared back at him, refusing to give in to any fear in the General's presence. The large cat let out a deep sigh before pulling himself up from his post, walking to opening and pulling down the flaps to allow for some privacy.

The sudden darkness was quickly broken as Pantherlily moved to light a small gas lamp, lighting up the tent to show the piles of maps and books, weapons and armor, all the necessities a field general could need.

"I shall ask again, now that you are awake, Miss Levy," Lily intoned, taking on a slightly softer voice now that there were no more prying eyes or ears, "what has brought you to these lands?"

Levy looked away before answering, hoping to hide her distress as she thought of her mission. "I'm here to ask your Lord for aide."

"You know he has no interest in the wars and quarrels between elves and demons."

"I know, but, this war is different. The demons have overrun our lands, separated the kingdom completely while killing thousands in their wake," she explained, holding back a sob as she thought of her friends, her family. "My grandfather is gravely injured, trapped in his castle, only our strongest knight is there to defend him. His son had defected long ago, and his grandson, his only true heir, is still in exile. His soldiers are searching for him, but we don't know if he'll come."

"And what of Natsu?" Lily asked quietly, thinking of the elves own dragon guardian.

"He's lost to us right now. Last I heard he had gone in search of an old friend who would help us. That was 6 months ago, and we haven't heard word of him since."

"You are one of Lord Makarov's many adopted children," Lily began with a deep sigh, looking away from the young woman himself as he tried to decide the best course of action, "I have met with you and your kingdom's knights many times over the years to maintain my Lord's non-aggression pact with your people. You know rightly well that my Lord will not be swayed by your plight. He is loved and respected by his people because he does not carry them into the wars raging throughout these lands, even though he himself is as cruel and sadistic as any of the demons you have faced."

Here he paused, causing Levy to look closely at the panther, searching his face for some sign of his thoughts.

"Tell me, how do you plan to persuade him to forego his neutrality and join your side?" Lily asked, turning to her with a determined gaze as he seemed to make up his mind, his own heart having felt the weight of the elf's pain despite how little she told him.

With his one question Levy allowed herself to beam a bright smile, the first time she had let the expression of happiness cross her face in far too long. She knew the General would take her to Kurogane's fortress, he would see to it she gained an audience with the dragon lord. Just one step closer to completing her mission. One step closer to saving her kingdom. One step closer to saving her grandfather.

And one step closer to her greatest sacrifice.

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**Please review!**


	4. Meeting

**Warning: Gajeel has a potty mouth.**

**Thanks to all of my reviewers so far!  
**

**I still don't own Fairy Tail or the characters- all rights belong to Hiro Mashima (who I've decided is horribly cute and I'm jealous of his wife :p)  
**

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To say she was nervous would have been an understatement. She was absolutely terrified. Her insides were roiling, her muscles quivering, nails digging into the palms of her hands as she restrained her urge to run.

All around her were swords, armor, battle axes, maces; anything and everything a man could need to kill someone surrounded her. But a flash of a fang and blood red eyes reminded her that this man didn't need those weapons to disembowel her, no, he could do it with his bare hands.

He was glaring at her now, standing against a desk with his arms crossed, making her think that he was indeed planning on the best course to take in her dismemberment. After tense moments of silence, Levy felt the weight of his stare leave her as he looked at the panther general behind her, allowing her to breathe again.

"What the fuck were you thinking bringing this midget fairy here? Huh? You know I couldn't give two shits about their war." Gajeel Redfox growled at his highest ranked officer.

"Gajeel, I think it would be in your best interest if you did care about their war," Lily reasoned, moving forward to stand in front of Levy, further shielding her from the dragon's scrutiny.

"We're stronger than those asshole demons; if any try to take me on there'll be nothing left of them."

"We don't know that; Natsu-"

"FUCK SALAMANDAR! He's a fucking weakling! Has no right to call himself a dragon!"

"Gajeel," Lily growled in warning, the tension between the two men growing as they argued over Levy's request.

"He tied himself to those damn fairies, and look what happened- probably got himself killed cuz of his damn stupid sentimentalities. I ain't helping them! There's nothin' in it for me!"

"I can give you something," Levy spoke up quietly, moving out of Lily's shadow after taking a deep breath to prepare herself again.

"Oh, the little fairy found her voice again," Gajeel sneered, leveling his malevolent stare on her once more. "So what does the midget think she can give me, eh?"

"First off, I'm not a fairy, I'm an elf," the bluenette said with purpose, once again digging up her resolve as she met his glare with her own steely gaze.

"Wh'the fuck's the difference? Yer small, use magic, and piss me off- all's the same to me. Anyway, yer damn kingdom's name is 'Fairy Tail,' stupid fucking name for a bunch of _elves_."

"Well… we're related to fairies."

The dragon lord snorted in amusement at her quiet reasoning before raising a metal studded eyebrow to urge her back on topic.

"Anyway," Levy began after clearing her throat, "I can give you something you need."

"And what's that? If you haven't noticed, I have everything I could possibly need, shrimp."

"Not a wife."

At her simple, straightforward answer, Gajeel immediately began choking, coughing and spluttering as he tried to figure out what was going thru the girl's mind.

"Yer fucking nuts! Yer here to offer yourself for an arranged marriage in exchange for an alliance in a petty, ongoing race war?" He hollered in disbelief.

"Yes."

"You think I'd marry a fucking elf?"

"Yes."

"Fuck, you gotta be crazier than that fuckin' rain woman," Gajeel grumbled, eying the small woman before him suspiciously. "Sorry shrimp, I can tell yer desperate, but that ain't enough to get me to go to war for ya."

"I can give you an heir," she answered instead, her eyes still hard with purpose.

Her persistence had Gajeel scoffing before striding heavily towards her. Once he was towering over the slender elf, he let loose a dark snarl and grabbed her around the neck, lifting her high in the air. Pantherlily, her only hope in rescue, was stopped in his tracks with a dark glare from the corner of the powerful man's eyes.

"Yer a fucking moron if ya ever thought I'd want an heir in the first place, much less from such a pitifully weak creature," the dragon growled lowly to her, squeezing her neck as his patience with her snapped. "I don't know what you did to enchant my general and get in here, but I'm not gonna fall fer it."

Levy was sobbing now, futilely clawing at the large hand encircling her tender throat.

"P-please," she struggled to say, the quiet begging only serving to tighten his grip more, "you- you're my only hope, Gajeel."

"Yer just lucky I can't kill ya, _Lady McGarden,_" he said quietly in her ear, emphasizing her title sarcastically in a bitter reminder of their lands' nonaggression pact.

With one last strangled cry from the girl, Gajeel tossed her back to the ground, watching stoically as she clutched her sore throat, coughing to once more catch her breath.

"Lock her away."

"But, Gajeel," Lily spoke up, moving forward as he tried to reason with his lord again.

"I said, lock 'er up," Gajeel growled at him, his anger having reached its boiling point as he turned to stalk out of the room. The dragon paused for a second at the door, though, turning his head slightly to address his general one last time. "You don't have to put her in the dungeons, just lock her away and keep her out of my sight until I figure out what I'm gonna do with her."

With that last remark, he walked out, slamming the door shut behind him so the remaining occupants could only hear the echoes of his enraged shouting as he went crashing through the halls in frustration.

Lily allowed himself a moment to look down sympathetically at the elf as she sat quietly on the floor, looking graceful and serene, albeit very sad, amongst the chaos and carnage that was the war room. Her flowing orange dress billowing out around her like a fragile flower blooming- so very out of place. She was a ray of light he felt their dark world sorely needed.

"I'll talk to him."

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**Review please!**


	5. A Battle of Wills and An Introduction

**What... what is this? Two chapters in one day? And both much longer than the others. I must be on a roll. :D**

**Anyway, more characters make an appearance at the end! And I make some references to other Fairy Tail characters that more than likely will come into play later on (still deciding, but considering my affinity for certain other pairs *cough*LaMi*cough* they'll probably pop up)... anyway, I don't state them by name, so I'm curious if you all can guess who I am referring to. You'll know what I'm talking about when you read it.**

**And a note on formatting: _italics_ mean flashback  
**

**And for HeartGold- expect your lemony goodness to start making it's way in with the next chapter. ;)**

**Standard disclaimer: Fairy Tail and characters belong to Hiro Mashima.**

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She sat quietly, the rain tapping against the window the only sound echoing through the room. She pondered where she was, where she came from, where she would go from there.

The young elf maiden ran a slender finger along the metal framework of the window pane, following the intricate designs running along the glass. Something so cold held a strange beauty to her in that moment, the thin vines twisting and curling in on themselves, weaving into the latticework covering the thick glass.

"_He showed restraint."_

That single comment was all Lily could give in summation of everything else he said. It was the thing he began with upon entering her bedchamber, and it was the last thing he said as he left. Now it was the only consolation she had as she sat alone, her tray of food forgotten and cold as she got lost in her musings.

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"_He showed restraint, Levy," Pantherlily quietly told the girl while letting her into the room that would serve as her cell._

_The bluenette could only raise an eyebrow at the comment, her hand automatically rubbing the web of bruises forming on her neck. Funny to think that would be the product of that man's self-control._

"_I'm serious. Should a lowly minion ever ask of a favor from him, their neck would be snapped after the first word left their lips. Should a man of mediocre purpose ask, he may humor them by waiting until their third word before locking them in the dungeons and torturing them for weeks on end. If after they still hold any value, he may free them. A person of my stature has more fortune in at least being heard fully, as well the freedom to fight back when he seeks to beat a lesson into them."_

"_I take it you know this from experience," she wryly commented from the perch she took on the windowsill._

"_I will be honest and say that my face has come to intimately know the strength of his fist, yes," Lily answered with a small smirk, coming to stand next to the girl and gaze out the window. "But you he has never met, and he not only gave you the courtesy of an audience with him, but let you speak your mind at length, as if you held an importance seen by none but the upper ranks of his army and court."_

_Here the panther general reached down to place a paw-like hand atop the elf's blue head of hair, pulling it back so she could look at his open and honest face._

"_I believe there is more below the surface than he himself even knows."_

"_What do you mean?" Levy asked in confusion, turning to face her unexpected ally completely._

"_He's little more than a beast trapped in a man's body. His instincts guide him in everything, and I believe those instincts are what have kept you alive and out of the dungeons. I think deep down he needs you just as much as you need him, he just doesn't know it yet."_

_With a light ruffle of the girl's hair, Lily pulled back again to make his way out._

"_I'll talk with him, but be warned, there is no telling what may come of me playing devil's advocate. Be prepared for the consequences, whatever they may be."_

_Levy's breath hitched, her hand once more brushing over her tender neck, as she watched the general leave. He paused in closing the door, turning his head to address her one last time before shutting her in for good. It was almost an aside, an idle, fleeting comment in hopes to comfort. Whose mind it was meant to ease she didn't know, but those words still floated in the air hours later._

"_He showed restraint."_

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"You have got to be kidding me," Gajeel growled at the general before him, his crimson eyes narrowing on the one man he dared call friend; a man who appeared to be betraying him in that very moment.

"You know very well I'm serious, Gajeel. Every day my men are fighting off demon hoards hoping to break in and conquer our lands now that Fairy Tail has become so weakened. They've set their sights on their next target now that the elves are practically in the palm of their hand."

"So you suggest I go through with that woman's psychotic offer and marry her?" The dragon hollered, snarling in his anger as he stared Lily down. "I don't need, much less want, an heir!"

"Why did you hold back earlier?"

"What the fuck are you talking about now?" Gajeel asked; pausing in his anger as a surprised and confused expression crossed his features at the random change in topic.

"With Levy. You let her speak. You let her live. You held back. Why?"

Gajeel's mouth was agape as he stared at Lily, the shock of realizing what his general had just told him coming over him as he replayed his earlier meeting in his head. When a flash of Levy's sobbing face came to mind, he let loose a growl of annoyance as he turned away to stare out a window, his arms crossed as he leaned against the pillar framing it.

"Hell if I know," he honestly answered, "and what's that got to do with anything, anyway?"

"There's something about her that gets to you," Lily said in turn.

"Will you stop speaking in riddles ya overgrown cat!"

"You couldn't hurt her because there's something about her that calls to you," the general continued, ignoring the insult as he did. "Deep down you need her, you want her, and in the end she's offering herself to you."

"She's an elf! She's weak!" Gajeel hollered out, turning to seethe at the man who was prodding at something he didn't understand.

"That shouldn't make any difference, there are many powerful beings in this world born of two races mixing, you yourself are one of them," Lily argued, refusing to back down in the face of the enraged man. "Elves themselves are the product of fairies and nymphs mixing long ago. Among their ranks their most powerful knight is born of an elf and human. They have a family who resulted from the only known merging of elves and demons. One of the most powerful sorcerers was born from a demon and human. And lastly you, and the other dragon lords, were born of a dragon mating a human."

At the reminder of his own heritage Gajeel unleashed an even louder snarl, just barely restraining himself from attacking his general right then and there.

"And look what that mating did! My birth crushed my mother's spirit and killed her! My father abandoned me when I was little more than a child!" The lord argued back, the skin of his hands metalizing as they balled into fists, his sharp claws erupted to dig into the armored coating.

"So you restrain yourself so no child has to endure the same fate as you."

Lily just barely dodged the sharp metal spike aimed at his head.

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He felt like he was floating, a river of air carrying him along in a star speckled tunnel. It was so peaceful, he could hardly remember where he had been before, but he knew peace was a foreign word there.

"Set him in the bed, and please fetch me some gauze and hot water," a calm, light voice broke through, slowly dragging him down from his mind's flight; a sharp pain in his side brought him crashing down completely moments later. "Make that a lot of gauze."

"Yes, Princess."

He could feel the wound in his side gushing blood now as he stiffened on the bed he lie in, groaning and panting as consciousness came back to him.

"Shhhh," the angelic voice eased as he felt a soft hand brush over his forehead and into his spiky, salmon colored locks, bringing his attention to a woman with shining gold hair, a sweet smile greeting him as he met her soft brown eyes.

"Wh- where…" he stuttered out, his voice catching as his lungs ached to breathe.

"I'll explain when you are well," the woman answered, her silver-blue dress flowing around her as she stood to take the supplies she asked for from a pink haired chambermaid. "For now rest, so your wounds can heal."

"Please… name…" he pleaded, hoping that he could at least know his rescuer.

"Lucy; Lucy Heartfilia," she answered with a smile, "Princess of the Celestial Realm."

"Natsu," he whispered back with a deep sigh, relaxing as a wide grin spread over his face through the pain he felt, "Natsu Dragneel."

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**Review please!**

**Oh, and anyone questioning the circumstances around Gajeel's birth- it'll be explained later, so don't think about it too much.  
**


	6. Late Night Encounter and a Nightmare

**Woot woot! Another chapter for you guys! And I changed my mind on bringing in the steaminess in this chapter... though it does get a little hot at one point, but it's just a prelude of what's to come. Anyway, another long chapter, and more characters brought in. I only got one guess on my hints from the last chapter :(, so PhoenixedDragon- you were right about the Strauss family, but not the human/elf knight... you'll find out in this chapter, though, who I meant. I still haven't introduced the human/demon sorcerer, and got no guesses on him, but I'll hint that he's the spy referred to later on, so if anyone wishes to guess on that character, I look forward to it.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail or the characters, they belong to Hiro Mashima.**

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The heavy drumming of fingers on wood awoke her late into the night. The sight of crimson eyes glowing at her from the writing desk beside the bed had her pulling back against the headboard as quick as she could.

He sat there, staring at her. Waiting. Thinking. Deciding. A glint of a fang and low rumble hinted at where his temper lay. The young elf could plainly see the man in her room was beyond his breaking point.

"Why?" Was the only word he spoke after many long, silent minutes.

"Why what?" Levy quietly asked back.

"Why are you doing this? Why should it be you? Why should it be me? WHY?" He asked in quick order, standing with each question to move around the room, finishing once he stood tall at the end of her bed, his hands gripping the decorative pillars of the canopy.

"Ummm," the young elf hestitated in answering, pulling back more as she stared straight at the imposing dragon before her.

"If I wanted a wife, a mate, I have hundreds, thousands, of women at my disposal here; what makes you think you're any better than them?"

"…"

At her continued speechlessness, Gajeel let loose another deep growl, his strong hands splintering the thick wood they held on to.

"Answer me."

"I'm stronger than they are," she finally whispered, her timid nature contradicting her statement as she looked down at her hands fisting in the sheets.

"Don't look it to me," he responded with a dark chuckle, "and anyway, that still doesn't tell me why you're even willing to do something so drastic."

"I already told you," she said, raising her head to look at him with a new determination alit in her eyes, "my kingdom needs your help, my grandfather needs you."

"And you're the only one available to exchange for an alliance based on marriage? I have a hard time believing that."

"I came of my own accord… Lord Makarov has no idea I'm here."

"I knew it," his derisive snort, "he'd never consider anything that would sacrifice one of his children. It's a waste of your time, anyway; I ain't interested in your war."

"It's going to be your war soon enough," Levy reminded him, wincing when she heard the wooden frame splinter more. "The demons seek to purge the lands of everyone but their own race, leaving the only survivors as slaves."

"I'll handle them when they come," Gajeel growled back, narrowing his eyes sharply on the woman.

"Why not stop them before then? Fight them in lands not your own, with strong allies by your side."

"Strong allies?" The dragon lord sneered. "You mean the pitiful little elves that have found themselves scattered, that weak Salamander who's missing, and probably dead, huh? I don't see any good coming out of this silly little deal you want to make. All I see is me taking in a liability and getting nothing but a war in return."

"Then why am I still here?" The bluenette asked, sitting up straighter as she stared down the beast before her. "Why are you here?"

Apparently the man didn't care much for her questioning as he quickly grabbed hold of an ankle, dragging the now thrashing woman down the bed before pinning her with his heavy body. Levy struggled in vain as she felt one of his large hands enclosing her wrists, locking them in place above her head, while the other wrapped tightly around her neck.

"I'm here to get some answers," he growled lowly in her face, his hot breath fanning over her making her cringe in fear, "and to show you how much of a mistake you made in thinking you could ever handle a dragon."

Levy could only let out a choked sob as his fingers tightened their hold on her throat, his body crushing her as he sank against her.

"How much do you know about dragon mating?" Gajeel asked quietly, his metal studded nose brushing her temple as he leaned in to speak in her ear.

"I know enough," the elf responded as best she could.

"Tsh, that doesn't tell me shit, _Lady Levy_," he hissed, once again saying her name with a sarcastic bite.

As he asked that he let the hand on her neck loosen as the skin metalized and claws formed, raking one of the sharp nails down her cheek to draw blood. Gajeel couldn't help but grin sadistically at her pained whimpers before ran his tongue over the wound, tasting her blood and the magic ting that came with her elven heritage. When she could still only whine pitifully under him, the dragon decided to continue his slow torture, running his tongue down to her neck where he let himself nip at her flesh.

"Tell me, do you truly understand the danger you're in?" he growled again, sinking his body down while he continued to taste her.

"I know your mother was a human, and the mating crushed her soul," she willed herself to explain, succeeding in angering the man above her even more as he moved away to glare hard at her, his lip curled in a snarl.

"How do you know that?"

"Natsu told me, and I've read enough dragon history to know you are no different from your father, despite your human blood." Levy continued; staring back at the angry dragon as his eyes darkened dangerously. "I know that the dragon race has been declining over the years, leaving them no choice but to take the form of humans and mating with other races. I also know that because of their strength, if their partner doesn't have a strong enough soul, they will die from the bond."

"So knowing all that, you still seek to marry me?" Gajeel growled back in a mixture of confusion and rage. "Are you really that desperate to tie me to your kin?"

"Yes," she answered honestly, her eyes still holding a determination he couldn't help but respect, even as they shone with tears, "but I know I have the strength to survive."

With her honest resolve staring back at him, the dragon lord found himself hesitating, unwilling to walk away from her for good, but unwilling to go forward as she wished. He was confused, and he hated it.

In his growing frustration he removed himself from the woman as quickly as he could; stomping to the door and slamming it open with the intention of escaping everything for the time being. The unexpected sight of his general, right eye swollen and left arm in a sling courtesy of their earlier 'discussion,' had him frozen in place though. The large panther had obviously overheard everything; he made that much clear in his expectant gaze, still not willing to back down from his lord's stubbornness.

Gajeel wasn't about to give in just yet, though, so after releasing a enraged snarl, he slammed the door shut behind him and strode off down the hall, towards the exit of the castle.

Left behind, Pantherlily remained frowning after the dragon, feeling sorry for any that got in his path as he flew over the lands that night. Inside the room, Levy shared those thoughts, shivering in fear as she wiped at the blood still trickling down her cheek.

The dragon's roars that night saw that none in all the lands would sleep.

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Nightmares plagued him that night. Black metal scales, blood red eyes, fangs glinting in the moon. A flash of blue hair, curious brown eyes, a pained scream hanging in the air. With sounds echoing in his head, the old man jolted awake, sitting up in bed as he stared forward blankly. A look of sheer terror settled on his face, giving one the impression that he had just faced death itself.

"Where is she?" He voice croaked; his throat parched from sleep.

Alone in the room, no one answered, so he repeated his question, swallowing thickly as he raised his voice.

"Where is she?" He called out, glaring darkly at the door ahead of him, willing someone to come and answer his question.

He was in luck as his top knight came barging into the room, scarlet hair flying, sword drawn as she searched the room for danger. When none could be seen, she sheathed her blade before turning her questioning gaze to the elder lying in bed.

"Lord Makarov, what is it? What's wrong?" Erza asked calmly, moving forward as she spoke to help tuck the heavily injured elf back into his bed.

"Where is she?" Makarov repeated, brushing off her attempts at assistance.

"Who?"

"Levy? Where is Levy?"

Erza went wide eyed with shock as her eyes snapped up to look at the deep, pleading eyes of her lord. She hadn't seen the young woman for the last two days, but it wasn't anything that would normally worry her as she assumed the girl had found a good book and took refuge in the castle's library. The young knight voiced her reassurances to the agitated lord, attempting to get him back to sleep so he could heal before any more demons could attack them.

"Find her then!" Makarov ordered, "I fear she may be planning to do something foolish. Find her at once!"

"She's already gone," a firm, feminine voice spoke up from the doorway, drawing their attention to the silver haired maiden standing there. "She left two days ago."

"Mira!" Erza called out, glaring at their lord's personal secretary and demon-elf bodyguard. "What do you mean, she left?"

"She took a horse and left the kingdom," the eldest daughter of the Strauss family answered, turning a hard gaze onto the lord and knight. "She was headed for Kurogane."

"And you let her go?" Makarov hollered, breaking into a fit of coughs with the strain on his lungs.

"We need his help."

"Mira! It's not up to Levy to decide something like that!" Erza argued in the elder's stead, standing tall as she faced down the only woman of equal rank to herself. "She could be killed for crossing into his lands without permission!"

"She made the choice," Mira stated plainly, "and I agreed with it. With Natsu missing we need all the strength we can get. Freed's regimen is searching for your grandson as we speak, Lord Makarov. My siblings are doing what they can to gather those that have been separated from us. Our spies tell us that it's only a matter of time before Hades' launches another large scale attack on us, and right now we are far too weak to withstand it."

At the mention of their spies, Erza's face took on a look of concern, turning her head away to gaze out the window. Mira glanced at the somber woman, sharing in her worries as she thought of those she cared for who were missing from their presence.

"How does she intend to persuade him?" Makarov asked, breaking into both women's thoughts. His face was darkened by shadows as he stared at his clenched fists, waiting silently for an answer he feared he already knew.

"Marriage and an heir," were all Mira said before the elven lord yelled out in anger once more.

"Does she seek death?"

* * *

**So... I feel like Gajeel's not as dark and cruel as I originally planned... oh well, he's still a huge jerk, so whatever.**


	7. A Sign of Things to Come

**I had originally planned to get this out on Friday, but got kinda lazy... sorry. Anyway, cookies for chill27, Ulcassi, and Helekiller2 for guessing the demon/human sorcerer-spy correctly! I figured the little hint with Erza helped a bit, and btw, Jerza is in this chapter, so yay! Oh, and I will say Lucy is not an elf or anything like that, as I said in her and Natsu's intro- she's Princess of the Celestial Realm... so as to what that does make her amongst the races, I can't really say at the moment, I'm still trying to decide on how to term it. But Loke and the rest are still technically spirits, but it'll be different from how they are in canon- it's basically like a separate race of it's own, just more ethereal, if that makes sense. :/**

**So, hope you all enjoy this one. I almost made it longer, but I felt like ending it at the Jerza scene, I like the pattern I have going thus far with the last three chapters. But I may have the next chapter out in a few days, so you might get another round of multiple releases from me- no definite promises on that, though.  
**

* * *

Two whole days had passed, and not once during that time did she see him.

As Levy wandered the surprisingly well stocked library of Gajeel's fortress, she couldn't help but wonder at his absence. She was losing what little hope she had that he would give her people aid, each hour he avoided her telling her he truly wasn't interested.

She had seen plenty of the kingdom's top general, Lily, the large panther coming by her room to keep her company, taking the risk that particular day to show her the library. Apparently he hadn't seen his lord any more than she had since his abrupt leave the other night, only hearing word from his troops that they had spotted the dragon flying over the lands from time to time.

It was obvious the man wasn't happy with her appearance, to say the least, and even less so with her request, but she and Lily agreed that his behavior seemed to conflict with what they would expect from the deeply sadistic man. Gajeel should have tossed her in the dungeons as soon as he saw her, then sent her back home, utterly broken and defeated, without any hope left.

With Levy's thoughts stuck on her kingdom's war and the current condition of her mission, she didn't hear when the door to the room opened, her eyes blindly focused on the books before her.

"What the hell are you still doing here?" A deep voice growled from behind her, shocking the young woman from her musings as she slowly turned to meet the deep crimson eyes belonging to the man she had been thinking about.

"Waiting for you to make your decision," she quietly answered, backing away as much as possible as he seemed to be just barely restraining himself again.

"I thought my decision was already clear- I'm not interested in your war, and I'm not interested in taking you as my wife."

"You didn't seem so sure in that regard the other night."

As soon as her comment escaped her lips, Levy found herself roughly pinned to the bookcase behind her, once again her throat held tightly as the angry dragon seethed in her face.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Gajeel asked, his forehead pressed to hers as he glared darkly at her.

"You never gave me a straight answer," Levy choked out, "you came to my room, asked me more questions, and then ran off after assaulting me. You seemed to be considering my offer that night, torn over what to do with me."

Gajeel could only continue to growl at her, finding no response to argue against her with since she was, in a way, correct- he was, and still is, torn over what to do. Without an answer from him, though, Levy found herself looking down and away, hoping to escape the intensity of his gaze for a moment, instead her attention was brought to a splatter of blood on the stone floor, and the man's dripping wound it came from.

"You're injured!" She exclaimed suddenly, now struggling to break free so she could look at the deep gash running up the dragon's limp right arm.

"I'm fine, it's no concern of yours," he grunted, her sudden concern catching him off guard and making him once again aware of why he had returned to his home in the first place.

"How did it happen?" Levy asked, the slightly distracted calm settling over him easing the grip on her throat enough for her to finally escape his hold.

"I said it's not your concern."

"Yes, it is," she firmly argued, moving forward to bravely grab hold of the limb and examining it, shocked at the strange greenish-purple discoloration around the cut, causing her to cry out in alarm. "You've been poisoned!"

"It's nothing, I'll be fine," he grunted again, grimacing as he wrenched the limb away from her.

"It's poison! How can you say you'll be fine!"

"Tsh," was all Gajeel gave as he waved her off, turning away from her to exit the library as quickly as he appeared.

"Wait! Where are you going?" Levy called out, moving to follow him out and hopefully get some answers from him.

"I'm going to get this fixed," he growled, turning to glare at her for a moment before turning back to the exit, "as you said, it's poisoned, I'll be fine once I get it looked at."

"It was a demon, wasn't it?" She suddenly asked; freezing the dragon in his place at the door, scowling even though she couldn't see him with his back turned. "I've seen wounds like that plenty of times, so tell me the truth. It was a demon that did that to you."

"Tsh, yeah, and I killed the fucker, so ya don't have to worry about it."

"I'm not, but how can you say this is none of my concern when it clearly is," Levy continued to argue, moving to stand beside the man and stare him down as best she could. "Lily told me the demons have been spreading into your lands even more lately, you've now seen for yourself what they're capable of-"

"They aren't capable of shit!" Gajeel interrupted, turning to glare down at her, his fist clenching as he once again found himself trying to show some restraint. "I just said I killed the bastard, there's nothing I need to worry-"

"You do need to worry!" She cried out, interrupting him in turn as she moved her hand to grip his injured arm, succeeding in gaining a pained growl from the dragon as she put pressure on the bloody wound. "This is only the beginning, Gajeel, they only get stronger from here."

His enraged snarl had her pulling back again as he moved to shove her away, the force not as strong as it could have been with the injury weighing him down. As soon as she was clear of him, though, Gajeel quickly made his escape, stomping out and slamming the door behind him, Levy left behind to stare solemnly at the wooden portal.

"Stubborn idiot," she grumbled before turning back to the books, forcing herself to forget the man for the time being as she knew this turn of events may well be what she needed to convince him to help her, at least that was what she was hoping.

* * *

"Stupid woman," Gajeel growled as he stalked through the halls, trying to ignore the pained throbbing in his arm as the poison in his wound spread.

The demon attack had been a freak occurrence, he kept telling himself, and the single wound he received was even more of a rarity. The coward had ambushed him as he quietly demolished part of a mountain in his lands, creating a canyon in the middle of the peaks that hadn't been there before. The bolt of magic had caught him by surprise, tearing through his scaled arm with a strange ease he had never seen before. After realizing what had happened, he didn't waste any time in decimating the demon man with a single slash of iron claws, the attacker going down like nothing more than a fly at that point.

Still, Gajeel thought to himself, the magic was strange and foreign, strong enough to break through his heavily fortified scales while in his dragon form. He hated to admit it, but the little elf he left behind in the library may very well have been correct; he was underestimating the demons, their potential, and the threat they truly were to him. It didn't mean he was even remotely interested in allying with the other kingdom, but at the least he knew he had to make some considerations and prepare his people for a war he had been hoping to avoid.

"You seem to have a lot on your mind, Gajeel," the deep voice of his general rang out from next to him, the large cat having managed to sneak up on the other man while he was lost in thought. "I'm guessing much of it has to do with Levy, and the source of that wound you have."

Gajeel could only growl at Lily, annoyed that he was unable to refute the statement.

"I saw you come out of the library, did you have a nice talk with her?" Lily continued on; feigning ignorance to the conversation Gajeel knew the general had listened in on.

"Shut up. Don't go thinking this is going to help persuade me to follow through with her stupid alliance, or your messed up obsession with seeing _that_ happen," the dragon snarled at his companion, hinting at the mating his general seemed to think was fate.

"Why shouldn't I? You just got a small taste of what I and my troops have to deal with daily all along the borders; it's obvious we need to do something before it gets out of hand. In the end we'll be working with Fairy Tail's kingdom, anyway, with a common enemy," he reasoned, glancing down at his lord for a moment before continuing. "As for Levy, I don't feel I need to say anything on that subject. Your instincts are leading you there without my input, no matter how much you try to deny it. In the end you won't be able to fight yourself; she has exactly what you need, can fill the void that's missing, it's only a matter of time before you realize that yourself."

After a solid punch to his general's face, Gajeel stormed into the castle's clinic, taking the door off its hinges after slamming it shut.

* * *

He had to reach her, had to warn her. These were the only thoughts circling through his mind as he struggled to walk.

He paused in his journey through the dark forest, leaning against a tree as he clutched at the wound in his chest. His head pressed back against the bark of the large elm, his dark blue hair falling away from his tattooed face as he struggled to breathe. He had been lucky his opponent had missed his heart, the demon's blade piercing just below his left collar bone, narrowly missing a major artery, let alone the vital organ.

With a labored groan he pushed off again, the movement bringing out a bloody cough from his lungs. He forced himself to go forward, though, ignoring the pain as he knew he was not very far from his destination.

He was alone, separated from his only two companions after they had fought off one of Hades' hoards of demon beasts. The dark lord had somehow learned of his treachery, his espionage finally coming to light bringing forth the full force of the man's sadistic wrath. He could only hope that the two women he called friends, family almost, had escaped. Once he delivered his message, he would set out in search of them, but for the time he had to reach the man he truly considered his lord, and the knight who meant more to him than life itself.

Just as his vision was starting to blur, he broke out of the trees, the back entrance to the castle sitting before him, beckoning him to push his feet forward. Right as he reached the door, she came, reaching out to him as his body finally gave up, falling forward into her open arms. He could faintly hear her cry his name, one of her strong yet delicate hands reaching to brush over his sweaty, blood stained cheek. With darkness overtaking him, he could barely make out the strands of crimson red hair cascading around him, the color so warm and beautiful to him, he knew he was finally home.

With his last once of energy, he moved his own hand up to grasp the one on his face, leaning into her touch as he smiled serenely at her, whispering one word to take with him into his deep, recuperative sleep.

"Erza."

* * *

**Oh, one more note- yes Ultear and Meredy will show up, I just haven't quite decided what I want them to be race-wise.**

**And for Gruvia fans... I'm trying to find a good place to introduce Juvia, then Gray... but I'm having a hard time with that. I've decided that they will be in the story, I just don't know where or how yet.  
**


	8. Instinct's Guide

**The chapters are getting longer! So, sorry I didn't get this out as soon as I had originally hoped, work was crazy busy and exhausting so I couldn't get motivated to write all week. Anyway, Juvia finally shows up- her personality is a bit OOC, I'll admit, she's more a mix of her Phantom persona and her current persona. I did this on purpose since I want her to have that more positive, kind nature she has in Fairy Tail, but the seriousness and power from when she was in Phantom... her comical side doesn't fit in this story, at least not yet, I may let her fangirl over Gray later on, but for now it won't work. I don't go into her background much at this point, but I will as the story progresses so there shouldn't be much confusion by the end.**

**And yes, I do, in fact, allude to a bit of NaLu, even if it's in reference to a myth.  
**

**Also- warning- 'M' content ahead! I apologize in advance for your nosebleeds. :D**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail or the characters, they belong to Hiro Mashima.**

* * *

Trudging down the hall, his wounded arm bandaged and on the path to recovery, Gajeel made sure to keep anyone from getting too near as he tried to calm his still surly mood. As he scowled at nothing in particular, his aura radiated a warning of death to any stupid enough to go near. As he walked, he grumbled incoherently, stewing over how he seemed to be losing control of his domain, his people, all because of one small, blue haired elf.

"Gajeel-kun!" A feminine voice suddenly rang out from behind him, stopping him in his tracks as he realized his deadly aura didn't always work on certain people, this one in particular seemed to be especially immune.

"What do you want, Juvia?" Gajeel growled, not bothering to look at the woman behind him whose sole purpose in life seemed to be getting under his skin, a trait that was apparently an inherent requirement amongst those with blue hair.

"Lily told me you found a mate!"

The dragon found himself snarling in anger at his general's gossip, before swinging around to throw a frustrated punch at the woman. His hit, as he should have known, did absolutely nothing but get his hand drenched as she transformed into water, pooling into a puddle on the floor, then moved to his side while waiting for him to calm down.

"Damn water nymph," he growled, "when the hell will you get out of my hair, rain-woman!"

"When Juvia's satisfied that you won't be alone forever," the nymph's liquid voice answered as she reformed her body, smiling sweetly at her longtime friend as she continued. "Juvia is happy to hear, though, that there might be someone out there who's willing to spend her life with you."

"I don't know what the hell Lily's been telling you, but I ain't taking that little midget as a mate or wife, or whatever," he growled lowly, leaning in to her face as he vainly tried to threaten her into changing the subject. "That damn girl's brought nothing but trouble; I have no use for her, and she's not worth going to war over."

"Then why has Juvia seen you seek her out twice now?" The woman innocently asked, cocking her head to the side as she frowned at the dragon before her. "And even now, you're headed back to her, aren't you?"

Gajeel went wide eyed in shock at her observation, glancing down the hall he had been walking through to see that he was, in fact, headed for the library, and the scent of the elf he swore he could do without. Juvia's sweet chuckle brought his attention back to her as he once again growled in annoyance at her, clenching his fists to keep himself from hitting the woman, it being a futile waste of energy, anyway.

"Lily asked Juvia to keep an eye on the elven girl," the water woman informed. "You really should be nicer to her, especially after she was so worried about your wound earlier."

"Tsh, it's none of your business, woman," Gajeel grunted, turning away again to try and get out of the conversation he knew he was about to have with her. "I'll treat her as I want, if she's so serious about thinking she can handle being mated to me, then she should be able to deal with whatever I dole out."

"It is my business, Gajeel-kun," Juvia said darkly, moving very quickly to stand before him again, sending him her darkest glare that would easily terrify a lesser being, the fact she was now speaking in the first person telling him how serious she was. "My people are rare, the closest kin I have are the elves, and I refuse to see them be wiped out of this world by those demons. They are strong and worthy allies, I know it. Continue to ignore your instincts, Gajeel, and you will not only worry about spending the remainder of your long life alone, but you will also have a world torn asunder by the chaos brought forth from the dark."

Gajeel narrowed his eyes at the woman before him, the woman who had spent much of her life wallowing in darkness, bringing never-ending rain wherever she went. She had long ago sought solace in his kingdom, her strength and rarity benefiting him, even as her gloomy nature literally drowned his lands. Even as she loyally fought those that tried to take his kingdom under siege, she fought herself, her anger, her depression, her loneliness. It was only when she was on the verge of death that she swore she was saved from her own inner demons, by an elf no less, and brought back to his lands to heal, forever changed into a lively, kindhearted nymph as she longed for the day she'd meet her hero again. The dragon lord should have known she'd eventually come to him with her own argument for taking up Levy's offer, but he was still surprised by how serious she was about it.

With no way to argue against her, and no way to fight her physically, Gajeel forced himself past her with an annoyed 'tsk,' brushing her off as he continued on his way.

"Juvia just thinks you should give her a chance," the nymph continued, once again back to her more light-hearted nature as she watched his retreating back stop just outside the library doors.

All she could do was smile in delight as the dragon let out a huff before turning and entering the room holding the young elf, knowing at least some part of his mind had heard what she had to say.

* * *

He stood there staring at her, blue locks falling over her gentle face as she slept peacefully beside a large pile of books. A quick glance at the spines told him she was taking full advantage of his stock on dragon history, no doubt looking for something to help aide her attempts in swaying him to her side. The book draped over her chest, though, was what caught his attention as he slowly pulled it from her loose grip.

Gajeel couldn't help but leaf through the tome he had long forgotten he owned, the book on dragon myths and legends his father had given him before disappearing. The story she was reading, though, was particularly interesting, as it recounted a love story between a dragon and his chosen mate, in this particular case the female was a celestial being, one who was a part of two worlds at once.

Flipping through the pages some more as he took a seat next to the girl on the couch she was lying on, moving some books to get comfortable, his eyes landed on stories more his taste, legends of dragons saving the world from demons, bloody battles that held infinite reward for the victor. As he read through the book, he stole glances down at the sleeping elf next to him, his mind a jumble of thoughts as he considered what Juvia had just said to him, and what Lily had been stubbornly telling him, as well.

Gajeel didn't know why, but he felt drawn to this small woman, finding it hard to act as violently as he normally would, even though he desperately wanted to because of what she was asking from him. He was actually surprised he hadn't broken her already; she was so tiny, especially compared to him that it was amazing to see he hadn't broken her neck by accident every time he assaulted her. She was delicate, and bruised easily, he thought, as he let one of his large hands drift down to smooth over the bruising around her neck from his rough treatment. He snapped his hand away quickly when she let out a sigh, turning to burrow into a more comfortable position on the sofa as she did.

The dragon found himself frowning again, looking at the girl, and then his hand, cursing as he realized what he had just done. Levy was definitely affecting him, softening him without his even knowing it, and he hated it. He hated the fact that she was there. He hated the fact that she was offering herself to him. He hated the fact that she wanted him to go to war for her people. And especially hated the fact that he was wanting to give in to her.

So with a dark snarl he found himself lashing out, waking the woman as he took her arms and held her tight to the couch, the rest of the books around her falling to the floor in the process. He found it sickeningly sweet to see her large brown eyes gazing up at him with pure fear shining in their depths, her breath caught in her throat as she stared at the furious beast hovering over her.

"I hate you," he growled lowly to her, his eyes narrowing as she swallowed thickly and nodded timidly. "I hate you, I hate you, I hate you."

With each proclamation from him, Levy winced as if he had smacked her, turning her head away to try and hide from his intense red eyes.

"Look at me," Gajeel growled again, securing both of her hands with one of his so he could grab hold of her chin and force her to look at him again. "Do you want to know why I hate you so much right now?"

"Wh- why?" The elf stuttered, trying to will the tears from forming in her eyes as she waited.

"Because I can't fucking get you out of my head, I can't toss you aside, I can't pretend you don't exist… I can't ignore what you're asking from me."

Levy was wide eyed by the end of his short speech, trying to comprehend if he was really saying what she thought he was.

"I'm not saying yes," he continued, answering her unspoken question before she could even think to ask it, "but… but I'm curious to see if you really are as strong as you think."

The elf was truly shocked, and her surprise only escalated as Gajeel didn't waste any time in slamming his mouth to hers, kissing her roughly as his eyes stared daggers into her own, daring her to push him away. When she didn't respond at all, though, he quickly became impatient, biting down on her lip so her mouth would fall open with a surprised gasp, allowing him to force his brutal kiss deeper as he slipped his tongue passed her bruised and bleeding lips, snaking it around her mouth as he thoroughly tasted her.

The feel of his free hand wandering down her body, groping at her hip and leg as he pulled it up to rest against his waist, brought her out of her shock as she finally realized what he was intending to do right then and there. With the thought of protecting herself in mind, she quickly began to fight him off, thrashing and kicking as she tried to free her arms from his tight grip. The battle seemed to only encourage him, though, as he growled into her mouth while forcing her hips down with his own, letting her know how much his body was enjoying their activities.

The rod pressing against her stomach alarmed her even more as she let out a muffled scream and futilely tried to push him off with a burst of magic, the action, once again, only exciting the dragon more, though it did at least succeed in removing his mouth from hers so she could get the chance to breathe again. As she gulped in air to help fuel her struggles, panting desperately under the heavy weight of the dragon lord, Gajeel moved to nibble her neck, running down to her exposed collarbone where he bit hard into the ridge. Levy only yelped from the pain, looking down to see him grinning savagely up at her, a small trickle of blood escaping the wound he made with his sharp teeth.

"Wait," she tried to plead as he continued his assault, his hand moving to pull down her tight, off the shoulder dress to expose more of her lithe form, while keeping his mouth over the puncture, lazily licking at the blood pooling there, "please stop."

"You asked for this, Levy," Gajeel grunted, pausing with his hand clasping the material at her sternum, prepared to tug it down completely. "You said you were offering yourself in exchange for my aide, you said you understood what mating a dragon would be like, you said you were strong enough to handle it."

"But, we need to go over everything," she tried to reason, "come up with an agreement, a contract, something."

"That's not how mating a dragon works, Shrimp," he roughly replied before pushing the top of her dress down to reveal the lace corset covering her chest, frowning at the offending garment holding him back from the body and delicate skin hidden beneath. "I said I was willing to see what ya got; then we can talk about the stupid details if I'm interested in helping you."

"But- but-"

"No more talking," Gajeel warned with another growl, pushing himself up to press his lips back against hers as he lost himself to the instincts he had been trying so hard to deny. With a flick of his wrist, his claws sliced through the last layer of clothing as he swallowed her frightened scream.

As his hand found purchase on her small breasts, the dragon allowed himself to admit that Lily was right; this innocent elf had been calling out to him, her soul practically begging for him to claim it. Her body was only fueling that deep desire to have her, his lust growing as he reveled in the feel of her soft curves pressed against his hard muscles, her thrashing, while slightly off-putting in some regards, was causing her to rub against him in the most delicious ways.

While his hand played with her tightening nipples, he tilted his head to deepen the kiss, grinning as his play seemed to be coaxing moans from her mouth, the woman slowly giving in to him as he went. With her will to fight back easing up, Gajeel decided to let her hands loose so he could tangle his other hand in her wild blue locks, pressing against her even more as he kissed her as passionately as he could. When her hands moved to tug at his long mane of black hair, he couldn't help but groan in delight, grinding his growing length against her for relief.

As his need only continued to swell, the dragon moved his head back to the crook of her neck, panting hotly into her skin as he began to feel overwhelmed by the raw feelings coursing through his veins. The smell of salty tears, though, brought him crashing back to reality, dosing those feelings of desire better than an ice cold bucket of water, as his mind finally registered her quiet sobs. At that moment he was frozen above her, listening in shock as she tried to contain her own erratic emotions caused by his actions. It was then that he realized what he was just about to do, and he jumped away from her as fast as he could, turning his back on her before the sight of her exposed chest rekindled any more tantalizing thoughts.

Without another thought, he peeled his black tunic from his chest and tossed it at the girl, still refusing to look even as he heard her sobs stifled while she moved to cover up with his shirt.

"Why did you stop?" Levy asked, sniffling quietly as she kept her eyes off his bare back, timid and unsure of what had brought on his sudden change of mood.

"I ain't about to fuck a crying chick, alright," he grunted coldly, daring to turn his head slightly and take in her bright red blush as she clutched his too large shirt around her. He hated the fact that he had to bite his cheek to keep from jumping her again; the sight of the small woman in his clothing calling out to his newly awakened lust for her. To keep some control over himself, Gajeel quickly turned away again, clenching his fists even as he crossed his arms to restrain himself.

The girl hummed in understanding, nodding to herself as she wiped away her tears.

"I'm sorry," she mumbled, "I know this was my idea and all, but… but, I'm just not sure if I'm ready yet."

"Get to your room; we'll talk in the morning."

With that single command, he stomped out of the room, slamming the door shut as he retreated from the woman and the bittersweet temptation she presented him. He had his answer now, and he loathed where it was taking him. Who would have guessed that the one destined to be his, would show up on his doorstep and literally offer herself to him.

Levy was undoubtedly his mate, and there was no escaping it now that he had set foot on that path.

* * *

**So, I just couldn't let Gajeel be so horrible that he had absolutely zero honor when it came to this mating thing, that's why I stopped it where I did. Don't know how many of you might know this, but studies have shown that for most men, the scent of a woman's tears is a huge turnoff- thought to be an evolutionary adaptation to fight against non-consensual mating. Figured I'd use that as a good way to shut Gajeel down, anyway, he seems like the type that wouldn't be able to handle a girl's tears... especially Levy's.**

**Anyway, hope you enjoyed this chapter, please review!  
**


	9. A Deal Made and the String of Fate

**Okay, so this one's shorter than the last few have been... sorry. But I have a long weekend, so I might be able to get another chapter out before the end of it... at least I hope to, I just wanted to make sure I gave you guys something in the meantime.**

**Anyway, enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: Still don't own Fairy Tail or the characters, they belong to Hiro Mashima (and damn I'm so happy he gave Gajeel that headband in the last chapter, he looks so awesome with it... and it's obviously a GaLe hint... I stand firm on that thought, no one tell me otherwise or no cookies for you!)**

* * *

"So, what are you planning to do now, Gajeel?" Lily's deep voice broke into the steady stream of thoughts the dragon lord had as he sat in his war room and study.

He had been there all night, not finding any peace of mind to sleep after his time with the elf the night before. His thoughts had centered heavily on what he did, and what he had almost done, sickened with himself for many reasons, even as he felt a nagging desire to finish what he had started. In the end he knew he couldn't avoid her and whatever strange attraction he had developed for her, it would drive him mad if he tried. The only problem was that the honor he had, though rarely did he let anyone see that particular trait, refused to let him just take her without fulfilling the terms she had put forward in offering herself as his wife.

"I'll send a small regiment of troops with Juvia to get an idea of what we're looking at in the elven kingdom," he grunted to his general after a few moments of silence, his attention fixed to the side as he leaned on his desk to stare out the window, looking strangely withdrawn and defeated.

"Why Juvia, if I may ask?"

"It'll get that damn woman out of my hair for a while, plus I already know she'll jump at the chance to find that elf that saved her," Gajeel answered, the normal bite missing from the tone of his voice.

"And what of Levy?" Lily asked solemnly, masking his immense curiosity as best he could.

Gajeel only growled lowly under his breath at the question, his fingers beginning a rhythmic tapping on the desk as he seemed to lose himself to his thoughts again. Moments passed by without any answer from the dragon lord, the man's face completely blank so Lily couldn't even hope to get a hint of where his thoughts lay; he almost moved on, thinking he wouldn't get an answer, when the dragon finally spoke again.

"Send her here, I'll talk to her."

With a small nod and bow, Lily rushed out to fetch the young elf, feeling slightly relieved that things looked to be working out, even as a deep seated worry buried itself in his chest. He found himself fearing for the future, and he couldn't even begin to understand why.

* * *

Levy was just as lost in thought as the dragon lord, spending much of her night tossing and turning, lucky to have drifted into a light sleep shortly before dawn. Unfortunately she hadn't slept for long, waking when the sun was too high in the sky and shinning in her window to ignore. Her thoughts, much like Gajeel's, revolved around the encounter in the library the night before.

It had scared her at the time, the intensity the dragon gave off as he touched her in ways no one had before truly terrifying. She had said she wasn't ready, but she had actually found her body responding readily to Gajeel's attentions, heating up with each furious kiss and rough caress. She had felt herself craving more, seeing how far she could go before losing herself to him completely. Levy hadn't expected her own desires to come out in that way, having assumed anything that did happen would be mundane and lacking any passion, on both sides. That was what truly scared her, the fever that had grown within her in only a matter of minutes beyond anything she could imagine.

When first meeting Gajeel, she could admit that outwardly he was devilishly attractive, his opposing nature drawing her in even as she wanted to cower in fear. But his callous attitude towards her had her wondering if she could ever feel anything for him, or from him, for that matter. The night before she learned that there was in fact a strange chemistry at work between them, one that neither could deny, no matter how much they may wish it.

She heavily anticipated their next meeting, and she was still trying to decide if that was good or bad.

"Levy?" A deep voice called out, breaking into her thoughts with a knock on the door before Lily opened it and stepped into her room, "Gajeel wishes to see you."

The short elf nodded at the large general before moving to get prepared in the attached bathroom, dressing in a simple, slim fitting yellow dress that flowed down to her knees. When she was done she nervously followed Lily out of the room and through the fortress to Gajeel's study, wringing her hands together as they walked.

"I don't believe you have any reason to worry, Levy," the panther spoke up, slowing to turn and put a comforting paw atop her head, turning back around when he gained a gentle smile from the elf.

"I just can't help it," she confessed, "I'm so confused right now, and I don't really know what to expect at this point."

"Confused?"

Levy blushed heavily under his questioning gaze, darting her eyes to the side as she chose not to answer his simple question. Lily chuckled slightly but didn't press her any more, her pink cheeks telling him enough. Once they arrived at the study, the general opened the door and moved aside to let the young woman in, closing it behind her before leaving them to their business.

Levy jumped slightly in shock as the heavy door closed, turning to see her only hopes for protection missing. Her attention was redirected to the dragon lord as he cleared his throat, slowly turning to watch as he stood from his desk and walked around to lean on the surface, his arms crossed as he glared at her in annoyance.

"I'm sending some of my regiments to your kingdom; when I learn more about what's happening in Fairy Tail I'll decide what to do from there," Gajeel stated, getting straight to the point as Levy's eyes widened in shock at what he was telling her.

The blue haired woman was so surprised that she even felt her mouth open as her mind shut down, her eyes glazing over in the process. She was only brought of her stupor when she heard Gajeel's deep chuckle as he stood straight and approached her, a finger going to her chin to shut her mouth with a click. Levy only blinked up at his slightly sadistic grin as his face lowered closer to her own, the finger on her chin tilting her chin up so her nose brushed his.

"In the meantime, there's the matter of the terms you offered in exchange for my help," he continued, his grin widening as she let out a squeak of surprise when his other arm snaked around her waist, pulling her in close to his strong body. "You're not going to back out now, are you?"

"No," she answered softly, swallowing thickly as his lips brushed against hers.

"Good."

* * *

"Are you sure about this, Princess?"

"As sure as I can be, Virgo, at the least I can't just abandon him," Lucy said softly to her pink haired hand-maid, her eyes on the sleeping Natsu tucked away in one of the rooms of her large castle.

"But the demons?"

"I know, he's Fairy Tail's Salamander and a top target for them," the blonde princess groaned impatiently, frowning at the spirit beside her for a moment, "we're already on their list of kingdom's to take out, getting involved in this war was inevitable."

"Lucy-sama," the goat spirit, Capricorn, suddenly spoke up, making his presence known as he slipped into the room unnoticed, "I'm more concerned with how he came to be in our lands in the first place. There are powerful wards that keep our realm of the world isolated from the rest, if this dragon lord could enter, there's no telling who else may have infiltrated."

"I understand your concern and I've already sent Loke out to investigate, but I think we are still safe, at least for the moment. As for how Natsu came to us, we'll just have to wait for him to awaken so we may ask him. He took a great deal of damage from whatever attacked him, but I feel he should wake soon."

As the young blonde spoke, she moved to check Natsu's bandages, replacing the few still bleeding through. The two spirits acting as her servants looked at each other with matching expressions of worry and curiosity. It was strange to see a woman of her status so insistent on caring for a wounded man, a stranger to her and their lands. She was doing all of the strenuous work, refusing any direct aid from them, choosing to act as nurse for the young dragon. They knew there was something more powerful at work then, something deep had bound their souls in an instant, their meeting so clearly destined in that moment.

It seemed to them that they were truly at a turning point in the world. The strings of fate finally pulling everything together as it lead them down the path to war.

* * *

**I know I'm horribly cruel for ending the GaLe where I did. *trollface***


	10. A Bond Formed and a Bond Begun

**Alright, I am giving fair warning now- there is a lemon immediately ahead! So, for those who don't like sexual content, skip to the end where it jumps to NaLu, otherwise, enjoy. I will also give a warning to those who do read the lemon- if you are prone to getting nosebleeds (and I know some of you are) you might want to keep a box of tissues on hand to stuff your nose with... or better yet, have an ambulance on standby with your blood-type on hand, you may need a transfusion. *bows down* I apologize for any near death experiences this causes.**

**Oh, and I did the mating as something a bit more spiritual in nature rather than going with the cliched biting and marking crap- sorry if you like that, I find it overused... like really overused- seriously, it's in just about every Inuyasha story I read... even Bleach... thankfully One Piece doesn't have any way to use it, except in a more figurative sense with hickies.  
**

**So- last warning- LEMON! Do not read if you do not want to... or if you are too young and innocent to be reading this.  
**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail or the characters, they belong to Hiro Mashima (damn, I was drooling over dragon force Rogue at the end of the last chapter... Sting looked sparkly, but cute, too... but Rogue... that face... *nosebleed*).**

* * *

"_You're not going to back out now, are you?"_

"_No," she answered softly, swallowing thickly as his lips brushed against hers._

"_Good."_

To Levy's surprise, the kiss started out almost gentle, as if the dragon lord was trying to hold back so he wouldn't hurt her. The moment she kissed back, though, all of that changed and he became the Gajeel she had seen the night before. Heated passion enveloped her as his arms found their way to her small waist, hoisting her up so he could reach her better and deepen their kiss. His tongue reached out to taste her, licking at her lips until they willingly parted to him, eliciting a deep growl of approval from him as he plundered her mouth.

The young elf didn't even realize that the man had been walking the entire time he was kissing her until she heard a door open and shut before her back was pushed against a hard wall. As Gajeel's body pushed against hers; his hands free to wander with their new position, the bluenette dared to peek her eyes open, only to lock onto the hooded, lustful red eyes of her dragon. She let out a gasp as he ground against her, a feral glint in his eyes challenging her to back out again, daring her to give up and run, breaking her promise and losing any hope at saving her kingdom. Instead, she just let her head fall back with a deep moan, rolling her hips to meet his as she did so.

The response was unexpected, but the dark man certainly wasn't about to complain as he buried his face into the crook of her neck, suckling and biting the flesh until it bruised. His hands found their way under her short dress, locking onto her well rounded backside as they continued to tease each other. A low curse and growl escaped his lips when Levy's slender hands dug into his hair, her nails biting into his scalp as she held his head to her.

"Where-, where are we?" She suddenly asked through her gasps for breath, her moans and writhing not ceasing even as she spoke.

"My room," he answered with a grunt, flashing his eyes up at her for a brief moment to take note that she was aware of the new surroundings, before moving to kiss and nip along her collarbone and chest until he reached the opposite side of her neck, where he gave it equal treatment as he went on with his explanation, "it's attached to the main study."

"Uh-huh," Levy answered with a sigh as she completely forgot her inquisitiveness in favor of the sensations coursing through her body.

Gajeel grinned maniacally against her neck as he felt her melt against him, her hands continuing to keep him close, something that wasn't necessary as he was enjoying the taste of her salty skin far too much to stop. His dark chuckle sounded out around them in the otherwise silent room as he listened to her moan, his hands busy kneading her backside and tracing her wet folds through her undergarments. The abrupt change in her willingness from the night before was making his decision all the better, her wanton cries far more pleasurable to hear than wails of terror.

He let loose another growl when he felt one of the elf's hands bravely wander down to his chest, brushing over course skin as she worked her way under his shirt. He liked the initiative she was taking, he wanted her to desire him just as much as he did her, and so he pulled away, his leg pushing up beneath her to help hold her steady against the wall, and tore his shirt off as quickly as he could before slamming his mouth back to hers.

The coursing heat and want felt natural to them, as if they had been lovers for years. As long as they both gave into the instincts within them and didn't try to fight themselves; then their union would bind them together easily, nothing but death to tear them apart from that day onward. There would be no ceremony, no elaborate ritual to show anyone that they were joined; all of that was unnecessary to dragons. If anyone questioned Gajeel's claim on her, he'd rip them apart, that was just the way it was.

Gajeel was beginning to feel impatient as the small woman's hands glided over his skin, tracing over scarred and metal studded flesh as she seemed to worship his strong physique. His need for her was increasing with every passing moment, every moan she let out as he suckled her skin and roughly caressed her curves, drove him mad with want. His hand still teasing her had worked its way to her core, bypassing the cloth concealing it so he could stretch her for what was to come.

He could hear Levy whimpering in slight pain at first, the feeling foreign for her, but she quickly relaxed as he continued to stimulate her, drawing more moans and pants from her mouth as he went. When he suddenly felt a timid hand reach down to the waist of his black trousers, any semblance of patient and control snapped with his excitement.

The dragon lord quickly moved to his bed, tossing the woman on it before following her, stripping her of her clothing so fast she wasn't even aware of it until she was bare to him. Her hands automatically went to cover herself, but Gajeel captured them, pinning her arms above her head as he leered down at her much smaller body, grinning widely as his eyes landed on her rounded hips. He was oddly surprised to find himself thinking about how perfect she was for him; she was everything he wasn't, and yet that seemed to be everything he was longing for in that moment.

As he pounced on her again, his mouth seeking out a rosy bud while one hand moved to continue its ministrations on her womanhood, Levy let out deep moans as electricity seemed to course through her, the tingling sensation running from head to toe down her spine as she lost herself to the aggressive dragon atop her. When her cries seemed to reach their peak, though, Gajeel stopped, pulling away as he discarded the last of his clothing. The young elf couldn't help but peek open her eyes to look at the nude man before her, eyes widening at the sight of him lining up between her legs.

A heavy hand clamped over her mouth the moment he slammed into her, taking her innocence before she could even think to change her mind again. As her walls clamped down around the invasion, the dragon practically collapsed atop her, panting heavily against her neck while groaning in delight. He didn't seem to care about her muffled scream or the tears running down her cheeks, he was lost in himself at the feel of her around him.

After a few minutes of him lying still within her, she saw his head move from the corner of her eye, tilting his face up to lick at her tears while grinning sadistically at her. He gave an experimental thrust, grinning in amusement as her pained cry was muffled by his hand, her tears continuing to flow down her face. He licked a trail over her cheek, stopping at her eye to kiss the corner before moving his mouth to her ear. His deep chuckle blew hot breathe over her ear as he nipped and sucked on the lobe, his husky voice echoing in her head when he spoke.

"If you don't relax, Shrimp, it's only gonna get worse," he said, giving another thrust of his hips to emphasize the pain she'd be in if she didn't at least try to let him continue. "No going back now, I can't stop now that I've gotten this far, even if I wanted to."

She nodded in understanding, taking a deep breath to calm her nerves, exhaling into the palm covering her mouth as she forced her muscles to relax around him. His hand finally moved away then so he could wrap his arm around her waist, squeezing her tight as he groaned into her neck, obviously happy to feel her loosening up for him. Once again he gave a thrust, then another when she only winced slightly, and another, and another, finding a steady rhythm as the bluenette in his arms started panting and writhing again.

He could feel it as he opened his senses to her, extending his very soul out to her as he sought that deeper connection. Even as the physical sensations of their intercourse flowed through his body, the warm light of her soul called out to him, drawing him into her more as his spirit resonated with hers. In that moment he saw how truly bright she was, how strong she was on the inside, and he knew there was no other soul that would join so perfectly with his dark existence.

He felt peace washing over him for the first time as he vaguely heard her cries of his name, her coming undone in his arms as they both reached their peak. They panted in sync, lying there in the afterglow of their union, no words capable of describing the intense euphoria their joining brought. Gajeel hugged the small elf tightly, his head buried against her neck as he breathed her in, his soul refusing to let go of her now that he knew, even as that stubborn part of his mind scoffed at the sentimentality.

Eventually he realized he was going to crush the girl if he remained laying atop her any longer, so he rolled onto his back, pulling the pliant and spent woman with him so she rested on his chest. Glancing down he caught her gazing up at him curiously, confusion written over her face, most likely because of his sudden change in behavior and attitude.

"This is why I didn't want a mate, Shrimp," he grunted in explanation, "the side effects mean you ain't leaving my side until I say so."

"Side effects?"

"I'm gonna be extremely possessive for a while," he continued to explain, narrowing his eyes at her in warning, "I thought you said you knew about this shit?"

"Well, I understood the general process, but I wasn't really aware of any changes that could come with it."

"Maybe not for you, but male dragons are especially protective of whoever they claim as a mate," Gajeel said with a lazy shrug, before sending her a leering grin, "we're also a bit 'handsier', if you catch my drift."

He emphasized his last comment with a rough squeeze to her backside, pulling her up in the process as she squeaked in alarm.

"Gajeel!" She cried out before finding her mouth once again occupied by the dragon lord, apparently he wasn't done with her just yet.

Levy gave in quickly to him, moaning as his hand fisted into her hair while he slanted his mouth to deepen the kiss. As her mind grew hazy once more, she idly realized it was going to be a very long night.

* * *

Lucy found herself laughing nervously as she watched the pink-haired dragon lord sitting in bed, surrounded by plates of food. The salamander had surprised her when he woke up much sooner than even she had expected, complaining of being hungry while shining bright eyes at her, silently pleading for food from the celestial maiden. She, of course, acquiesced but certainly hadn't expected to find his appetite to be so insatiable, the man rapidly eating mounds of meat and carbs she couldn't even dream of eating herself in a whole month.

"You're so nice, Lucy," he smiled at her around a mouth full of pasta, the sight making her cringe slightly, even as his innocent face made her insides flutter.

"It's no problem, Natsu," the blonde responded from her seat next to the bed, waving off his thanks as if it were nothing, "you're still healing, so you need the nourishment."

She let out a sigh as he went back to inhaling his meal, glancing warily at the goat spirit watching over her from near the door. Capricorn refused to leave her alone with the dragon, despite her constant reassurances that she would be fine. The princess figured he was just nervous considering the potential breach in their defenses that the dragon's arrival may signal.

"Umm, Natsu?" She began after a few moments of silence, turning her attention back to the man in bed as he gave her a curious grunt. "I was wondering if you might be able to tell us how you came to be in our lands so heavily injured."

The pink-haired man hummed in thought, swallowing his last piece of steak as he tried to comb his mind for an answer.

"Well, I remember flying to find a friend of mine to help with the war with the Grimoire demons when I was attacked from behind by one of them. I don't recall much of the battle; he used a really strange black fire, and had long blonde hair," Natsu explained, scratching his head in thought as he forced himself to remember. "He called himself Zancrow, I think, and I couldn't eat his fire like I normally can, so he was able to overpower me slightly at first. I remember somehow beating him before I passed out, after that I don't know how I got into the Celestial Kingdom."

"That's strange, our lands are guarded with strong magic," Lucy thought aloud, once more turning her attention to Capricorn who had approached as the dragon spoke, "no one should be able to enter without permission."

"Normally, yes, but that magic has a will of its own," the goat broke in, drawing a shocked look from the princess, and a confused stare from the dragon lord, "it's millennia old, maintained by the spirits charged to protect those that live within, most importantly the royal family. These lands are unique to the rest, not completely within the mortal realm, yet not completely within the spirit realm, because of this the demons have always sought to take the magic held within our borders. For the barriers to let you through is unbelievable-"

"As I said, I don't know how I got here," the dragon lord said clearly, interrupting as he leveled a serious gaze on the spirit as he went on, "I do remember floating, that's it, as if I were on a river, but not. I can't explain it, but I didn't come here of my own choice, and certainly not with ill intentions."

"Natsu, no one is accusing you of meaning us harm," the celestial princess soothed, frowning at the goat who only crossed his arms after a small shrug, "we just want to know if we should be worrying about the strength of our defenses. As Capricorn was saying, the magic protecting us has its own will; it very well could have allowed you through, though I don't know why."

They were pulled from their conversation by a knock on the door, turning their attention to the opening door that revealed the orange haired spirit, Loke. The man quickly made his way over to the blonde next to the bed, bending down on one knee as he took her hand and kissed it, grinning with fake innocence as she rolled her eyes at his display.

"Princess," he said after standing again, clearing his throat as he glanced at the confused man in bed, "we've finished our survey of the barriers; everything seems to be in order, there are no breaches to be concerned with."

"Well, that's good, though it definitely leaves how Natsu came to us as a mystery."

Capricorn could only share a meaningful look with the lion spirit, both aware of why the dragon lord was there. Destiny was making its move, and there was nowhere else Natsu was meant to be but in their lands. Soon they'd have to leave their realm to protect their princess, face a dark force intent on seizing all power held within the world, and watch as the woman they loved more than anything, fell in love herself.

* * *

**Review please!**

**I hope all my fellow perverts enjoyed this chapter, it was very hard to write... my mind kept drifting off into space throughout that lemon, was difficult to stay focused.  
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**The NaLu part I'm kinda 'meh' with, I'm not happy with it, but I don't hate it enough to change it. Their story will be explained in bits and pieces, so hopefully everything will make sense by the end.  
**

**Jerza fans- it'll be your turn again next chapter! :)  
**


	11. Until the End

**I'm soooooooo sorry this is so late! Work got insanely busy... seriously people, don't put off the dentist until the end of the summer, my brain can't handle it! Anyway, this is a short one, but I plan to write the next chapter later tonight, I just like the way this ended and wanted to get it out since I know you all have been waiting so long... plus I'm slightly hungover, so it was hard enough to get this much. :3**

**Anyway, only Jerza this chapter *ducks as angry GaLe fans begin throwing things*, I'm thinking I'll be doing Gruvia next chapter... might put GaLe in there, too, but not sure at the moment. I'm sure the Jerza fans will at least be very happy with what I did, I've actually never really written for them (outside of my crack fic), only alluded to them, but it was fun doing a serious chapter for once. So, without further ado...  
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**Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail or the characters, they belong to Hiro Mashima.**

* * *

She refused to leave his side, sitting for days on end next to his bed, changing the gauze wrapped around his wounded body, brushing away dark blue hair from his peaceful face, watching him with intensity for any signs of consciousness returning. Even when Mira came in urging her to eat or sleep, the red-headed knight only brushed off the other woman, keeping her silent guard up for as long as she could.

"Erza, you really need to sleep," Mira once more lectured upon entering the room holding the unconscious man, setting down a tray of food in the hopes her friend would at least eat something. When the red-head barely even glanced at her before returning her gaze to the half-demon man lying in bed, the young woman knew she would have to use slightly more underhanded means to convince her to take a break. "Jellal won't be very happy to wake up only to have you pass out because you've been neglecting your own care."

Her reasoning seemed to reach the woman, Erza's eyes widening in surprised realization before she reached out to grab some of the food on the tray, greedily eating as Mira stood their stifling her amused giggles.

"Really, you two are something else," the white haired woman mused to her old friend, taking a seat at the opposite side of the bed as she gazed dreamily between the knight and their demon spy. "Always so concerned about each other that in the end nothing else matters."

Her light laughter came out as Erza's face turned as red as her hair, the woman stuttering out excuses as she paused in her meal.

Before anymore could be said, though, a groan from Jellal broke the light atmosphere, the women snapping their attention to the blue-haired man as he cracked open a brown eye. The demon sorcerer's gaze immediately drifted to Erza as his other eye opened, relief mixed with sadness painting his expression as he smiled at her.

"Erza," he grunted.

"Jellal," the red-head answered, her food now long forgotten as she moved to take his hand, Mira stealthily slipping out of their room to give them privacy, her presence of no importance to them in that moment, "how are you feeling?"

"Better now that I'm here, but there is a lot we must discuss," he said with a groan, attempting to move so he could sit up, only to be stopped by her firm and gentle hand pushing on his shoulder to keep him in place.

"We can talk later, you must rest now," Erza chastised, her body still leaning over him as she held him down, "you very nearly died from that wound, you're going to need more time to heal."

"Erza," Jellal gasped, his eyes widening as they met with her teary eyed expression.

"I won't leave your side, Jellal," she continued, "just please, rest, you can tell us what you need after you've recovered."

"There's not enough time, Erza," he responded softly, his hand reaching up to cup her cheek, brushing away her tears with his thumb in an attempt to comfort her. "Grimoire is planning a large scale attack; we need to gather as many soldiers together as quickly we can."

"What? How long do we have?"

"I'm not quite sure, Lord Hades learned of my espionage before I could hear any more of their plans, but I suspect they will be prepared by the next new moon," Jellal explained, groaning slightly as the woman's hold lessened enough for him to finally sit up, the hand on her cheek moving to brush down her arm and take hold of her hand as she sat next to him on the bed, facing him as she processed the information he gave.

"That's not long, only about two weeks," she mumbled, her eyes looking down at her lap as she distractedly fiddled with the hand covering hers. "I don't think that will be enough time; we have no idea where Natsu is, he's been missing for months now. The others are all separated, we've been trying to find them, but so far we've had no luck. Levy only left us a little more than a week ago in some vain attempt to gain the Lord Kurogane's allegiance. Our own Lord is bedridden, far too injured to face Hades in another battle..."

As the knight's mind raced, her thoughts voiced aloud as she began to grow more and more concerned for the state of their people as the conflict looked to be peaking very soon; Jellal reached out to wrap his other arm around the woman, pulling her against his chest even as his body stiffened in pain from his wound. The gesture silenced the woman immediately as she found her face pressed tightly against the man's gauze wrapped chest, her eyes widening as she turned them up to look at his steely, serious expression.

"Everything will turn out, Erza," he began, his hand moving to tangle into her long red locks as he spoke, "we'll find everyone, we won't let the demons have their way. Don't let your fears keep you from being the calm and levelheaded knight I know you are. You're the strongest woman I know, and once everyone is reunited again, Fairy Tail will be an unstoppable force against the darkness gathering around us."

With every word he spoke, Erza felt her body relax in relief, soothed by his confidence as his presence calmed her once more. She knew he was right; she was getting worked up over their war when she needed to keep her rational mind and do what she did best, and fight back.

With peace returning to her once more, Jellal allowed himself to sink back in the bed again, bringing her pliant body with his. He could feel the exhaustion in her frame as if it were his own, though he himself was no better at that point, his wounds taking his energy away from him far faster than it should. Settling against his pillow, he wrapped both his arms around her, holding her too him as he watched her tired eyes sliding shut. He let a smile drift across his face once more as he leaned his face into her hair, nuzzling the soft tresses before leaving a tender kiss on her forehead.

"I'll protect you until the very end, Erza," he whispered to her as sleep overtook him, taking him into dreams filled with dragons' roars and battle cries; crimson hair and tearful eyes.

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**Look! I rhymed at the end! :D Review please, those warm fuzzy feelings you all give me keep me going.**


	12. A Fated Reunion

**Here ya go, everyone, the Gruvia chapter I promised! *hides behind wall as GaLe fans glare at her* I... I swear... I'll go back to GaLe in the next update... please don't kill me before then!**

**Oh, and slightly darker beginning to this chapter, but it lightens considerably as it goes. I hope I did justice to Gruvia in this... again, Juvia's slightly different from the manga, more serious, but I did included her dreamy state a bit. As for Gray... hmmmm... I think I did him justice here, maybe a slight bit out of character, but more so in his thoughts, I think, but we can never really tell what he's thinking (with Juvia in particular), so I'll call it creative license. ^_^  
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**Disclaimer: Still don't own Fairy Tail or the characters, they belong to that guy, Hiro Mashima.**

* * *

All around her were bodies of elves; the small village nestled in the outskirts of the Fairy Tail kingdom looked to have been torn to shreds by demons. Juvia and her small troop of human fighters slowly moved into the town, their weapons ready, their bodies on alert, freezing into battle stances with every clatter of debris shifting among the rubble. She motioned for a few groups to break off and search the wreckage for any survivors, or worse yet, any potential attackers.

"This is just awful," the water nymph muttered to herself, her eyes taking in the carnage around her. She guessed that this was an isolated village, housing weaker elves who hoped to hide from the invading demon armies. Unfortunately they weren't lucky enough to be spared by Grimoire's cruel forces, the demons looking to completely eradicate all elven life in the lands.

As she and the men who followed her picked their way through the town, she found her eyes drawn into the dense forest at the far end of the settlement, a strange light flickering some yards away drawing her to it. Quietly she waved at her companions to stay back, not wanting to sacrifice any human life at that moment, her water body far more resilient to a demon attack then their flesh. Even with that reasoning, though, a small part of her heart knew that whatever was hidden in those trees was safe, holding no malice in its presence.

Creeping through the trees, climbing over rocks strewn throughout, she found herself at the edge of a glistening pool of fresh blue water, sunlight glittering on the surface through the foliage. Movement at the opposite end had her ducking behind a tree, only peeking her head around slightly to investigate. At the sight that caught her, she froze, her mouth agape in a silent gasp as she watched a dark haired man cleaning a deep wound in his side.

Water trickled down his firm torso, rinsing away the blood that seemed to mare his otherwise perfect flesh. The patches of sunlight caused the drops to shine, giving an ethereal beauty to the elven man that had Juvia's heart racing uncontrollably fast. Her cheeks heated with a deep blush as she watched him run a handful of water through his black hair, the vision bringing on a longing to go to him and run her fingers through the damp tendrils, wanting to know if they were as soft as they looked. She stayed frozen in place, though, far too nervous and overwhelmed to alert him to her presence.

She recognized this elf, this man who had saved her from death only a few years before, this man who had stolen her heart in one moment.

"Gray-sama," she whispered dreamily to herself, her mind slipping into a fantasy world where he was truly hers.

She was shocked out of her trance like state only a moment later when she felt the sharp edge of a blade pressed to her throat. Her eyes sought out the figure of her savior, only to realize he was no longer there. Inside she cursed herself for losing focus, putting herself in danger by not watching her surroundings.

"What are you doing here?" A familiar deep voice rang out in her ears, causing her back to go rigid as the dagger pressed tighter against her flesh, a strong hand held firm to her arm to keep her in place.

With a steady breath, Juvia turned her face to clash eyes with the elf she had just been admiring, his dark eyes steely for only a moment longer before recognition flashed through them. Relief flooded through her when his blade of ice pulled away, his hold loosening so she could turn to face him fully; her skin tingling slightly as his hand brushed down her arm before releasing her completely.

"You're… you're that water nymph… Juvia," Gray stuttered slightly, confused over seeing a face he never thought he'd see again, "Why are you here? Why aren't you in Kurogane's lands?"

"Gajeel-kun sent Juvia and a small band of men to lend aid to Fairy Tail," she explained quietly, "It was part of his agreement with the Lady Levy."

"Levy? What agree- " He began to ask more, stopping as pain from his wound caused him to double over, clutching his side with one hand while the other moved to hold the tree next to them for support. Before he could fall over, though, he found his arm wrapped around the nymph's shoulders, her serious eyes meeting his as she lent him her support, guiding him back to the water's edge.

"Juvia will explain more, but now she must help tend to Gray-sama's wounds."

"You don't have to-" he tried to argue, only to be interrupted by the woman's stern expression as she frowned at him.

"No, Juvia must, she owes her life to Gray-sama, and she does not wish to see him in pain."

The elf found himself nodding in agreement, sitting down on a rock as he watched her move to a pack she had been carrying on her back. She quickly pulled out some gauze and wrappings, soaking some in the cool water before moving to wash at the gaping wound in his side, his movements to capture her previously having opened it back up. They sat in silence, then, as she began to wrap his torso, expertly applying first aid and staunching the flow of blood.

"What happened?" Juvia asked quietly, darting her eyes up to his for a moment as she finished her work.

"I'm not quite sure myself. I've been patrolling the borders, trying to find some of our missing soldiers, as well as Lord Makarov's only remaining heir. I just came upon this town today… I was too late to save anyone."

"But your wounds?"

"The demons were still here, resting up and stealing the town's supplies, I fought them all, you'll find their bodies a few yards further from here," he explained, his eyes staring blankly at the water before them as he spoke.

Juvia just sat back in shock, taking in the man's sullen expression, the sadness radiating from him as he more than likely thought about the loss of life he couldn't prevent. With a timid hand she reached out for him, crouching on the ground at his knees as she took one of his hands in her own. She met his surprised eyes with a look of sympathy and determination, squeezing his hand in support before speaking again.

"Juvia will stay by your side, Gray-sama, she will do everything she can to see this not happen again."

"You don't-"

"No! Even if Gajeel-kun hadn't ordered Juvia to come, she would have lent her aid to the elves anyway. She will not stand by and watch a race so close to her own vanish from this world. She will not abandon Gray-sama after everything he did for her in the past."

"Juvia…" Gray sighed before covering her hand with his own, nodding in defeat at her stubbornness. Though, part of him was relieved for the help, he knew she was strong, far more powerful than her beauty and grace gave away. Seeing her now, so bright and full of life, so different from how she was when he first met her, he couldn't possibly say no to her.

At his agreement, Juvia's face brightened considerably, her serious expression wiped away as she sent him a beaming smile he never imagined her being capable of before. Gone was the broken shell of a nymph who brought only rain and sorrow to those around her, gone was the sad woman calling out for companionship, gone was the warrior who went into battle wanting to die. His breath caught slightly as he saw the woman who had been hidden beneath those dark layers, the woman he had saved after coming across her broken body. The tears were gone now, only radiant sunlight shining down on her sweet face as she took joy in the life she had, the life she felt he had given her.

In that moment he smiled back at her, his eyes softening just slightly as he gazed down at her. She wasn't alone anymore, and neither was he.

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**You know the drill- review, please!**

**Oh, and a note for Ulcassi- YAY! Only one error you saw in the last chapter... not bad for writing with a hangover! Woooo!  
**


	13. A Clue Found

**Hello again! I'm glad I'm keeping to my schedule again, even though I had a hard time deciding how I wanted this chapter to go, but in the end I'm pretty happy with it. Anyway- GaLe fluffiness ahead, not much, but little bits here and there. Gajeel's softening a bit already, I can't help it, he's so cute when he's with Levy and it's hard not to play that up a bit. This chapter is mainly helping to set up what I've suddenly decided will be an important plot point, lol, so no action, but it's preparing for it, in a way.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail or the characters, they belong to Hiro Mashima.**

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Gajeel hadn't been kidding when he said he would be quite possessive of his new mate, the man literally hiding her away in his bedchambers for nearly a week, only allowing a select few servants to bring in nourishment for the new couple when necessary. At first Levy didn't mind; she had been quite sore the day after their joining, so she relished in the chance to rest. The problem was that the dragon lord didn't give her much time to rest, his statement concerning his libido just as honest as the one on his possessiveness.

After practically screaming at him to let her out for some fresh air, the young elf finally gained a sliver of freedom to join him in the study when he met with Pantherlily. It wasn't much, but it was a start. At least she was socializing with someone she hadn't seen in a week, and it gave her a chance to hear about the state of the war with the demons.

"I've gotten word from Juvia that she's made contact with one of Fairy Tail's fighters," Lily explained, glancing at the blue haired woman munching on a plate of fruit his lord had requested for her. "She said his name was Gray, and that he was an ice based elf."

"Gray?!" Levy asked in surprise, her attention snapping to the large panther as she heard a name she hadn't heard in weeks, next to her Gajeel eyed her slightly before returning his gaze to his general.

"An ice elf," he grunted, "Juvia must be ecstatic then."

"What do you mean by that?" Levy asked, glancing between her frowning mate and the smirking general across from her.

"That rain woman said it was an ice elf that had saved her a few years back, the only reason we actually get to see the sun now is because she said he took away her rain," he explained to the girl, chuckling when she seemed even more confused than she was before. "She fell in love with the guy, been obsessed with seeing him since."

"Oh," was all Levy could say in understanding, blinking slightly as she thought of something, "but there are other ice type elves, how can you be sure this is the same one."

"Because she wouldn't stop going on about her beloved 'Gray-sama'," Gajeel answered with a sneer of the man's name. "It's the whole damn reason I sent her in the first place to act as the scout leader, she'd fight death itself for that damn elf."

Levy nodded slightly, stifling her giggles at the annoyed expression on the man's face, before letting the general return to giving them what information he had.

"Anyway, Juvia said she would be traveling with him and hopes to reach Fairy Tail's capital in a few days. She'll explain to the Lord Makarov personally what has transpired here and formerly offer our aide to the elves."

Gajeel grunted at that, not showing his slight curiosity of how the other lord was going to take the news that he had mated one of his precious children. He knew the old man wasn't going to be happy about any of this, but they could always settle it once the war was over.

"Also," Lily continued; his tone deepening as he glanced at the elven woman again, "she informed us that she had come across an elven town near the border that had been completely demolished by Grimoire's forces. Gray had gotten there too late, but had killed all the demons he found pillaging the town."

Levy's quiet gasp had the men's attention back on her as she bowed her head in sorrow, her hands moving away from her food to fiddle with the hem of her dress. With a slight frown, Gajeel moved his own hand closer to her, subtly brushing against her leg to draw her attention to it. His very mild attempt at comfort worked, as her hands relaxed slightly, before she slipped one into his own, his strong grip distracting her from her saddened thoughts so they could move on with the meeting. Despite the dragon's attempt at subtlety, though, Lily still saw the small gesture and found himself suppressing his smug smirk when the man's attention returned to him.

"Did she have anything else to report?" Gajeel asked, focusing on his general as much as he could, though his hand was busy playing with his mate's hand under the table, his thumb caressing her soft skin in what he hoped was a soothing manner.

"No, that was it," Lily answered after clearing his throat, trying to hide any amusement in his tone lest it cause Gajeel to stop what he was doing. "But there was something I wished to discuss with Lady Levy," the general continued, his eyes softening as the girl looked at him with surprise and confusion on her face.

"What about?"

"You had said something about Natsu, your kingdom's own dragon guardian, going missing some months ago when he left in search of a potential ally," the panther explained, leaning forward on one hand as he thought about their brief conversation after he found her in the forest. "I was curious if you knew where he was headed or who he was looking for."

"Well, I'm not entirely certain; all I know was that it was an old friend who lived in a secluded region of the mountains to the northwest of us," she attempted to explain, her brows scrunching together in thought as she tried to recall anything she had heard about his leaving.

"The northwest?" Gajeel asked in surprise before getting up and moving to a set of maps across the room, the other two's gazes on him as he rifled through the parchment. "There's another dragon lord who lives up there… well, I guess I shouldn't call her a lord."

"Another dragon?" Levy said after jumping up to join him, leaning over his arm to view the maps he was scanning in the hopes of some information on where he could have ended up.

"Yeah, this is her territory," he explained while pointing to an area of the map, his finger tracing from her own kingdom's capital to the mountains belonging to a neighboring land. "Wendy's an old friend of mine, too, not nearly as annoying as Salamandar. The quickest route for a dragon to fly there is to take a more westerly approach, then heading north through a small pass carved into the mountainside. Her main home is far too isolated to safely reach any other way, but if you have no other choice, then there is still a route that takes you north first, then west. The problem with this one is the path through the mountains is narrower, plus it closely skirts…"

Levy looked up at the man as he trailed off, his mouth falling open in shock as he seemed to realize something important. Without another word he turned and headed out of the study, making a beeline for the library with the elven woman and his general following hot on his heels.

"What is it Gajeel?!" Levy called out as they entered the library, sticking close to his side as he immediately started tossing around a stack of books, obviously in search of a particular one.

"That path, it's meant to be used only in times of war, only dragons and the Exceed race can fly through those cliffs without much risk of injury or death, so it's less likely we'll come across an enemy hoping to get in the way" he hastily began to explain, waving towards his general to indicate that the large cat had been there before, "but the other reason it's only meant to be used during emergencies is because of the lands it borders. They're protected by a strong magical barrier that normally keeps undesirables out, but it has a tendency to react to the dragons that might fly by it. My pops told me about it once, when I was still a kid, and being curious I went there to see for myself."

"And?" Levy prodded as the dragon lord stopped, his hands landing on the book he was searching for and quickly moving to flip through the pages.

"And the barrier didn't hurt me, but it felt like it was wrapping around my soul, searching for something, when it didn't find whatever it was looking for, it repelled me faster than I could blink my eyes. I woke up nearly three thousand miles away."

"So, are you saying Natsu took this route, encountered the barrier, and was flung away?" Lily asked, curious as to what had his lord suddenly so on edge.

"Yes, but he wasn't flung away," Gajeel answered, turning the book around for them to look at the picture that accompanied the myth Levy had been reading only a week before, the myth on the dragon lord and celestial being, "he was let into it."

Levy could only blink at her mate, her eyes going from his face to the book and back again, until realization dawned on her.

"Those lands, they're the entrance to the celestial realm?" She asked in shock, receiving a solemn nod from the man as answer. "So, you're saying, this myth I was reading is actually a prophecy, and Natsu is a part of it."

Again Gajeel nodded before tossing the book to her, staring blankly at her when she squeaked in alarm and caught the thick tome.

"You're a bookworm, right, Levy?" he asked, a glowering nod given by the girl as she showed her dislike of the slightly condescending term. "Think you could break down that book, decipher it; I have a feeling there's going to be a lot more prophesying from those stories, and we could use whatever edge we can get in this war."

The young elf was surprised that he was actually giving her something to do that was so important, her smile bright as she quickly moved to one of the library tables and set to work. Despite how little they knew each other still, she couldn't help but be happy that he held so much faith in her, even without knowing that language and codes were actually her specialty.

"Lily?" Gajeel continued, taking his eyes away from his mate for a moment after having watched her practically skip with joy to the table, "I need you to head north, see if you can find any evidence that Natsu took the emergency route to Wendy's home."

"Of course," the general nodded in agreement, turning in preparation to complete his mission before Gajeel called out to him again.

"Take a small regiment with you, in case you come across any trouble along the way," the dragon lord ordered before moving to take a seat next to the elven woman, his attention once more on the girl as his red eyes intently watched her study the book, unaware that his general was watching in that moment.

"Of course," Lily agreed quietly, a smile drifting over his face for a moment before he made his way out of the room again. He was truly happy that his lord had given in to his instincts, the girl was exactly what he needed in more ways than one.

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**And a few notes for my wonderful, beautiful, fantastic, heart-warming reviewers (totally not kissing your asses... okay, I am, but you all really are that great!).**

**-Ulcaasi: I thank you for your reviews, as always, I seriously re-read my work multiple times just so I can feel all giddy when you tell me you didn't see any mistakes. I laughed to myself when the last chapter's mistakes weren't even in the storyline... though I feel bad I got your name wrong- I blame that on my fingers, as always, lol. And yes, I was hungover, not bad, though, just a bit of a headache. -/-**

**-Helekiller2: Glad you liked the Jerza, normally I'd respond to your question immediately, but I was busy working on that next chapter- which answered your question anyway, lol.**

**-LevyRedfox and FairyTailxoLove: I hope this chapter being only with GaLe, and Lily, helped appease my fellow GaLe fans... I really don't want to die anytime soon, and I know it wouldn't be pleasant if it were at the hands of a GaLe fan. -.-**

**-TooLazyToLogIn: I will try not to slack on my schedule again. *bows in apology***

**-FairyVampire-chan: Thank you! ^.^**

**-Xeylah: Thank you! The thesaurus is my friend- I do some article writing for a newsletter my mom is an editor for, and she always used to get on me about overusing various words, so I try very hard to use a richer vocabulary.**

**-PhoenixedDragon: Thank you! I hope I can live up to your expectations for the final showdown, action is hard for me, but I hope I can pull off the dramatic side of it.**

**-RoseJustice: I understand what you mean about M stories, there are definitely quite a few that are poorly written, but there are also many excellent stories in this rating- it all boils down to the author. I try to keep my standards high, and I feel mature stories should show that they are also mature at an intellectual and emotional level, not just because of the adult content that goes into them, though that doesn't always stop me from writing a dirty one-shot, lol. (Gotta be honest, I'm not that wholesome).**

**And to any other reviewers I didn't mention- THANK YOU!**


	14. Symbols Abound and An Heir Returns

**Sorry about the slight delay in this, I was out of town for a concert when I normally work on this story. For those following my other GaLe fic, I'll be moving to work on the next chapter of that now, so hopefully I'll have it out in a day or two, depends on how distracted I get.**

**Anyway, some more GaLe fluff, and a little hint at citrus activity (I can't help it, especially after that last Fairy Tail chapter... I think we all need fluff to take our minds off of that grim image), also I'm getting some other key players into position... and yes, there's some mild Laxus x Mira this chapter... I may not make it an official pairing in this story, but I still like the way they interact, so you'll get some of that, anyway. Next chapter I'll be switching gears a little bit and giving some perspective from the other side- so some evil scheming and whatnot.  
**

**Also, a big thank you to HeartGold, the requester of this fic, who made the beautiful fanart for the cover picture! It's the first fanart I've gotten for a story (that I'm aware of), it makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.  
**

**Oh, and someone had asked once in a review if I plan to put Sting and Rogue in this story... I don't know yet... I kinda want to (especially since I love Rogue so much), but I just don't know how or where. If anything they'll be in it, but not in a major role, we'll see where this goes. But, enough of my rambling author's note, please enjoy!  
**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail or the characters, they belong to Hiro Mashima (WHY!? Why must you torture us, Mashima!?)**

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At some point Gajeel had fallen asleep while Levy worked, laying his head down on the table next to her as he watched her, his eyes heavy as they took in her face set with deep concentration. He had been rather surprised at how seriously she was taking the job he had given her, and even more surprised by the adeptness she showed in searching the text for hidden meanings and codes that may be of interest to them. Unfortunately, though, that studious aura she had meant she was oblivious to the world, and thus him, and he quickly found himself drifting to sleep after not getting any information from her for nearly an hour.

When he awoke from his unexpected nap, his neck tight from the uncomfortable position he was in, he glanced over the now growling elf next to him, her eyes scrunching in confusion as a frown marred her face. She was staring intently at the book of myths, a pencil held in hand tapping incessantly against the desk with her irritation. The dragon lord blinked at her, his still groggy mind trying to come up with a possible reason for his mate's restlessness, eventually realizing she had hit a wall in her examination of the text, and didn't seem too happy with that fact.

"What is it?" Gajeel asked, leaning closer so he could glance at the book.

"Well…" Levy began, humming in annoyance as she let the book drop to the table, leaning back in her seat as she continued to stare at the text with her arms crossed, "this book doesn't have any secret codes, spells, or anything to indicate it was written with purposeful intent."

"Purposeful intent?"

"The author of this book didn't write it as a warning or book of clues, it's just a set of stories that have been passed down for generations that may have come from a prophet at the original telling, but after so much time without confirmation turned into simple legends. The other problem is that these stories are so vague and unspecific, it's more likely to be coincidence that one story matched up with a current event," the elf continued to explain, turning to the man next to her after a thoughtful pause before going on. "If more things add up, then we might be looking at confirmed prophecies, but even so, this book has been rewritten and translated so many times that it's very likely any specific details of interest will be lost. In the end, we'll only have a broad and general expectation of things to come, and none of the stories give even the slightest clue to what direction our war could go."

"So you're telling me, this was an utter waste of time?" the dragon groaned, scowling at the book as if it had offended him on a far deeper level than anything ever had before.

"Not necessarily," Levy answered, perking up slightly as she turned back to the book, flipping to the inside of the front cover where an intricate design was woven, showing a trinity symbol containing three dragons surrounding a five point star. "This symbol represents a unification of five races: humans, elves, demons, Exceeds, and the celestial beings; the bond created and held by the dragon race, and more importantly by the three strongest dragon lords of this world."

"And, why is that important?"

"This is completely different from the rest of the book, this design was woven in with a strong magic and tells us that with the alliance of the three dragons, the world will come together and a new era will begin," Levy finished, somewhat smug at the small finding that most would disregard as simple decoration.

"So… I gotta work with Salamander, whether I want to or not?" Gajeel asked with a sigh, obviously not looking too happy about working with the other dragon. The woman next to him nodded, smiling sympathetically as he seemed oddly defeated at the prospect. "That idiot is the whole reason I've avoided a direct alliance with the elves. He's an exhausting, hyperactive, happy-go-lucky idiot… but a strong idiot…"

Levy was a little surprised by the man's roundabout compliment of his rival, staring at him as he frowned in thought, before a small giggle bubbled up. Her ringing laughter couldn't be contained, even as he turned to scowl at her; the elf was just too amused to see her mate actually acknowledge her race's self-proclaimed guardian.

"What's so funny?" The dragon lord growled, leaning in to send her an intimidating glare that only served to increase her laughter.

"No, I'm sorry," the bluenette began cheerily, holding in her amusement as best she could, "I'm just a little surprised that you'd actually admit Natsu was strong."

"Tsh, of course he's strong; he's a dragon, but he's still the biggest idiot I've ever known."

"So is it his childish personality that's kept you from getting any closer to the Fairy Tail kingdom?" Levy asked, smiling brightly at him as she took the opportunity to learn more about the man next to her.

"Hmmm, that's part of it, but I also saw most of you as a weak race," he explained, staring at the girl from the corner of his eye as he spoke, reveling in her attention at that moment, her large brown eyes looking at him with curiosity and wonder shining through. "I've fought Salamander before, and even though I had the upper hand throughout most of the battle, he still won in the end with sheer will alone. That fight is what led to the non-aggression pact between our two kingdoms, though that idiot did try to convince me to form a full alliance with you guys."

"Why were you two even fighting?"

"Pride, plain and simple; I wanted to prove that I am the strongest dragon."

Levy hummed in understanding, smiling slightly as she leaned her cheek into the palm of her hand. She and Gajeel hadn't had much of a chance to truly get to know each other, their betrothal and bonding far too rushed with the war to allow it, so she was happy to finally learn some of her new husband's history.

"The other dragon lord, did you ever challenge her like you did Natsu?"

"Naw, she's not really suited for direct battle," Gajeel answered, turning in his chair to face the inquisitive girl completely, mirroring her position as he leaned against his own hand, "her abilities are geared towards healing and support, though she has a few nasty offensive attacks, she's still too young to have them fully mastered. Anyway, she's doesn't like to fight for something as intangible as pride all the time, so I doubt she'd ever agree to battling me."

The bluenette once more gave a simple nod of understanding before letting out a sudden yawn, the action receiving a wolfish grin from the man next to her. She was surprised by Gajeel suddenly moving closer to her, his forehead leaning against hers as his arms moved around her small frame.

"Worn out already, small stuff," he teased before pulling her body into his lap, his head dipping so he could run his nose along the column of her neck. "Then, if you're done here…"

Levy could only blush as the dragon's comment trailed off, his wandering hands and nips of his mouth finishing his statement far more clearly than he could. Only moments later she found herself laid atop the library table, Gajeel's mouth covering hers while he expertly drove her into euphoria. As her mind drifted into the depths of her exhaustion, she vaguely felt the large man cradling her close to his chest as he carried her back to his bedchambers, his heartbeat pounding in her ear as his warmth enveloped her. She never imagined before that she could find such comfort in the arms of a man as cold as steel; she could only hope that nothing would come to change that.

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Mira couldn't contain the smile on her face as she peeked into Jellal's recovery room, spying the mop of red hair lying on the man's chest as the pair slept peacefully. Her longtime friend had always danced around her relationship with the spy, never giving her confirmation on how close they truly were, but in the end she didn't need it, she could see as plain as day that they were bound to one another, heart and soul. The white haired woman only hoped that this war didn't tear them apart; they'd faced far too much tragedy together in the past to deserve any more in the future.

As she turned away, she was startled to find a tall figure leaning against the wall behind her, a smug grin etched into his scarred face as he watched her reaction. His large muscular arms were crossed over his chest, his fur lined jacket draped over his shoulders; looking as imposing as ever- the heir to Fairy Tail, Laxus Dreyar.

"Where have you been, Laxus?" Mira whispered harshly once she shut the door to the bedroom, turning a menacing glare on the blonde man. "I sent soldiers out months ago to look for you, and just now you turn up!"

"I'm in exile, remember? Gramps didn't take my attempted coup very kindly," he answered, dropping his smile as he returned the woman's glare for a moment before his features softened into a concerned frown. "How's he doing?"

"He's badly injured, there's no way he will last through another battle with Hades," the demon-elf told him quietly, her eyes turned down as she moved to walk through the halls, the elven heir moving to follow her. "We need you, Laxus, even if Lord Makarov is still angry with you; we can't fight this war without you."

Laxus only gave a grunt as reply, prompting the woman walking ahead of him to turn her head and send another icy glare at him.

"I'm here, aren't I?" the elf finally said, "I've been wandering the kingdom looking for soldiers after my Raijinshuu found me; I won't let my people fall so easily to the demons."

Mira stared at him wide-eyed, surprised to hear him so easily agree to helping, even after being sent away shortly before Grimoire officially waged war on them. She had come to a halt in the hallway, her posture relaxing as the shock wore off into a sincere, appreciative smile.

"Thank you, Laxus."

The blonde only grunted again, shrugging his shoulders as he turned his head back to gaze at the room she had just been looking into.

"So Jellal's back?" He asked, getting an affirmative nod from the woman next to him as answer. "Did you hear any of the information he brought?"

Mira nodded again before answering quietly. "We only have a few weeks at most before the next attack. Jellal's been found out, he doesn't even know where the other two are, so we can't know anything more for certain."

Laxus nodded in understanding before turning to walk away, brushing past one of the most trusted women in his grandfather's inner circle. The blonde stopped for a moment next to her and placed a large, comforting hand on her shoulder before speaking again.

"You siblings are safe," he murmured, his blue eyes catching her wide ones as he spoke, "they're with my men; you'll see them again soon."

With that he walked away, his posture tall and confident as he slipped out of the castle, leaving Mira to watch him disappear into the shadows, as if he was never there to begin with, whispering one last thing to his fading back.

"Thank you."

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**As always- please review!**

**Oh, and yes there will still be more from that book, I'm leaving it ambiguous for now, though.  
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	15. Darkness Moves and Family Bonds

**Alright, so as I said in my author note last chapter, I'm changing gears a bit and giving some insight into the bad guys. I'll let you know now, not all are going to be from the original Grimoire Heart, considering I have Ultear, Meredy, and Jellal as they are post-time skip, don't be surprised if I have some other dark guild characters showing up to act as antagonists in this story. Anyway, I'll have another note at the end of the chapter, but for now, I'll let you get on with this late update.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail or the characters, they belong to Hiro Mashima**

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Deep within the darkness shrouding tall canyon walls, a sinister air settles throughout. Maniacal laughter, screams of pain, cries of anguish; they all echo against the sharp ridges, chasing away all life not born for such torment.

Through the trenches, a solitary soldier shuffles along towards the grand and imposing castle carved into granite cliffs. His tanned skin melting into the shadows of the rocks, stray flashes of light glinting off his silver earrings as he walked, the only thing to betray his movement through the canyon. No life exists around him, save for a few brave ravens and lizards that scavenge upon the weak that thought themselves capable of facing the beasts hidden within the canyon's many caverns. This lone man is not weak, though; exuding strength that sends those mindless, savage demons deeper into their holes, shaking with fear of the power this man held. Power that wasn't even the greatest amongst them, yet still he was strong enough to crush them without batting an eye, so bored with their deaths he wouldn't even remember they'd existed in the first place.

As he entered the fortress, he let his eyes briefly glance back as a terrified and disembodied scream rose up from where he came, yet another victim falling prey to the demons' insatiable bloodlust. Without a word he climbed the slick, marble stairs, his attention once more focused on the open corridors that lead to his Lord's study. The only decorations were the occasional stone statue embodying the power of darkness, rocky faces taking sick pleasure in the torture of their enemies.

Death and destruction were all that they knew.

Reaching the top of the stairs, he paused for a moment to gain his bearings and calm his mind, unwilling to show even a shred of weakness before his leader. Once ready he proceeded into the elaborate room, bookshelves lining every wall, housing thick tomes telling their races history and magic. To his right was a balcony, a light breeze blowing the sheer curtains bordering the doorway to where the Lord stood facing out over his dreary kingdom.

"So you've returned," the aged man spoke, his voice rough yet calm as he idly stroked his long silver beard.

"Yes, Lord Hades," the soldier responded after taking a respectful knee, keeping his eyes trained down even as he felt the man's gaze turn on him.

"Have you found them yet?"

"My apologies, the spies managed to allude me before entering Fairy Tail's forests, an ancient magic seemed to prevent me from entering the trees," he explained, taking a moment to lift his head and catch the elder demon's surprisingly amused gaze. Clearing his throat after his pause, the soldier sought to continue his report, turning his head down again as he spoke, "but, they are separated now, my lord, and _he_ was gravely injured, he could not have survived for long without immediate care."

"He survived," Hades spoke, chuckling slightly as he approached the other man, beckoning for him to stand and speak openly with him, "if there's one thing I know about that man, it's his deep resilience. His heart longs to live, if not for himself, then for the one his soul aches for."

As the demon lord spoke he moved towards a large strategy table, elaborate pawns spread across a map of the world's lands. Releasing another deep chuckle, he reached out to a single dark blue piece, moving it to land in the heart of the elven kingdom as a knowing grin spread over his face.

"Azuma, take a group of men and give our friend Jellal a very gracious farewell," the lord ordered, turning to catch his General's own grin as the man stared at the map, obviously eager to face the traitor once more, and even more so the woman who was most likely harboring him.

"What of the other two?" Azuma asked distractedly.

"I'll deal with them in due time, but having such an important piece in the heart of enemy territory is far too good to pass up," Hades explained before turning to a figure sitting deep in the shadows, acknowledging their presence as he addressed them. "I trust that you can handle tracking the other two?"

"Of course, Lord Hades," the shadowed demon answered; their nod just barely perceptible to the others in the room.

Hades' booming laughter rang throughout the canyon as he turned back to his post, signaling to his soldiers that he was done speaking with them.

"Soon the day shall be upon us where demons will rule all the lands."

* * *

They had been running for days, stopping only briefly to rest in whatever caves and holes they could find. Their pursuer seemed to have given up on them, but they knew from experience that demons were both sly and relentless. It was only a matter of time before they were found again, and because of that, they had to hurry, they had to find every living elf that could fight and warn them of what was to come.

"Ultear! We need to stop! I can't keep going at this pace," the young pink-haired woman called out from behind her, stopping to lean against a rock as she clutched her aching side.

"Alright, Meredy, but only for a moment," the older woman answered, moving to sit next to her longtime friend and offer her a gourd filled with water, smiling at the girl as she took hold of it gratefully.

"Have you seen or sensed anyone, yet?" Meredy asked after taking a long drink, handing the pouch back as she spoke.

"Not yet," Ultear answered, a sad tone to her voice as she looked at the young woman next to her, a small smile crossing her face as she moved to put an arm around the now disappointed girl in comfort, "but don't worry, I'm sure we'll find someone soon."

"What about Jellal?"

"He'll be alright; I know he must be with Erza by now." She knew very well that their leader, their friend, had already made it to the elven castle, there being no other place his heart would lead him in such a dire situation.

After that the women descended into a comfortable silence, the younger girl leaning against the other as she closed her eyes in rest, her long pink hair cascading over her shoulders. Ultear kept alert, even as her hand smoothed over her friend's head, soothing the half-demon as best she could. Despite her calm demeanor, deep down she was restless, worried over what her former lord had planned as he sought to purge the elves from the world. At one time she had been one of those elves, but when she was still but a child, she had been taken for her potential- a small vein of demon blood running through her from generations past. It wasn't much, but she had held an overwhelming amount of power even as just an elf, and for that Hades had sought to use her, which he did, successfully, until she woke to the reality of her world.

The darkness emitting from her heart felt unnatural. The things she had done, people she had killed, weighed down on her conscious. She had been the one to awaken the demonic blood in her two closest friends, turning them against their human kin, and now she worked with them to rid the world of that bleak, cruel fate the demons desired. Now she would see to it that Fairy Tail would rise up again, spreading their light over the lands and ending the pointless feud brought on by selfish, mad, and intolerant demons.

A sudden rustle of leaves nearby brought Ultear out of her musings, both women jumping to their feet as they listened intently to their surroundings. With their hearts racing, standing back to back, they held their eyes open, their breath halted, and muscles ready to react to whoever was out there. Moments went by without another sound, but still they didn't relax, unwilling to underestimate their enemy after being caught off guard.

Finally another rustle, much louder and nearer, brought their attention to the direction they had been running in originally. As the movement within the forest grew louder, the women prepared themselves for an attack, taking on defensive stances as their eyes honed in on the path ahead. Ultear took a position just in front of Meredy in the hopes of protecting her should they be meeting someone too strong for the young woman to face.

Just as she lifted a time orb into position to send out an attack first, she found herself paralyzed with shock as the source of the noise emerged from the shadows, the small group stopping in their tracks as they took on battle stances of their own. These were not demons they were facing, they were humans; humans from Kurogane's lands. Before she could ask what they were doing in elven lands, a familiar pair jumped in between them to prevent anyone from attacking, her mouth widening with shock at the man standing before her then. She knew her companion shared a similar look as she saw the blue haired woman with him, her eyes alighting with excitement at the sight of her friend.

Dropping her orb to her side, Ultear just stood frozen as she took in the man she hadn't seen in far too long, the man who had broken her free from Hades' darkness. She faintly heard Meredy's happy cries as she ran towards the water nymph, embracing the woman in a hug as old friends reunited at last.

"Long time no see," the dark haired man said with a smile, waving as he approached her casually, "Sis."

"Gray," Ultear responded quietly before the stress of the past few days finally got to her, tears glistening in her eyes as she fell to her knees in relief of finding her half-brother unharmed, a smile on her face as she looked up at the young man, "you have no idea how happy I am to see you."

* * *

**As you can see, I finally figured out how I want to introduce Ultear and Meredy into the plot, and yes, I made Ultear and Gray siblings (half, sorta)... I'll explain that in later chapters, but for now you have that much to go on. I'll also explain how Meredy and Juvia know each other later- I personally love the little friendship they developed after their fight, so I can't help but keep it here. And I think I have Ultear a little out of character there at the end, but I'm basing that on how I imagine she'd react in such a stressful situation- running for her life for days while trying to protect her closest friend and searching for anyone who could help them.**

**Next chapter you'll get some more GaLe, probably not as much as I have been giving normally in a chapter centered around them, but it's mainly because I'm preparing to get into more of the action part of this story. I'm going to try to make the next one longer, too, and cover NaLu, Laxus' group, and maybe Jerza (I really want to give them some more plot, but we'll have to see what I come up with). So if I can keep with the schedule planned in my head, I'll try to have it at the end of the weekend- still no promises, but I'll try. XD  
**


	16. A General's News and A History Revealed

**Sooooo... apparently I'm in a lemon mood, lol. So- WARNING! Small lemony scene immediately ahead... I couldn't help it, I'm already set to write two other lemons this weekend- at least those were planned, this one just happened. Oh well, I still think we all need a bit of GaLe fluff right now... really, when do we not need GaLe fluff? XD**

**Anyway, GaLe and NaLu this chapter, I was thinking of doing more, bu~t I like just having the two scenes. And- more Phantom characters make an appearance! You get a bit of Gajeel's history and how he came to rule over his kingdom. And I also explain more about what Lucy is- I'm sure it's confusing, but whatever.  
**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail or the characters, they belong to Hiro Mashima**

* * *

Red eyes watched as the small elven girl slept peacefully in their bed, thoughtful as he took in her soft face, her blue locks scattered messily over her bare shoulders and back, her slender waist and wide hips. His eyes fixated on her plump lips, parted slightly as she lightly breathed, calling out to that primal part of him that craved her. The early morning sun peeking in through the sheer curtains seemed to make Levy glow, the sight only capturing the dragon lord's slowly thawing heart, his soul aching to connect with her again.

Gajeel was amazed that it hadn't been much longer than a week since he had broken down and taken the woman for himself, agreeing to a war he had sworn he wanted no part of. While a small fragment of his mind still wanted to feel angry at her for crashing into his life, he couldn't help but feel awed at how seamlessly she fit with him, the larger part of him wondering how he had gone for so long without her.

He reached out with a large, calloused hand to run a finger up her spine, reveling in the feel of her soft skin twitching from the contact. He grinned when she let out a moan, the sound a mix of annoyance and delight as Levy seemed content to remain asleep for as long as she could. Unfortunately for her, he wasn't interested in sleeping any more.

Lying beside her, Gajeel reached out and pulled the bluenette back against his chest, his mouth moving to leave open mouth kisses along her shoulder as his hand reached around to stretch over her stomach. He chuckled when he heard another moan, the sound becoming more passionate as she melted against him. As he moved a leg between her, his thigh subtly brushing against her core, his hand moved up to grasp her breast, playing with the nubs as he slowly heated her body up. Her moans became more pronounced, begging without words for him to take her as she ground herself against his leg. Gajeel didn't waste any time after that, just as desperate as the young woman as he entered her from behind, growling at the warmth surrounding him.

His face buried in her neck, breathing in her scent, he set a slow and steady rhythm, intent on enjoying her whole presence before he was forced to face the cruel reality of a looming war. With every passing day, he could feel it coming, the atmosphere darkening, a foreboding aura settling over the world. As much as he enjoyed battle, he didn't care to see his lands torn apart by mindless and selfish demons. What made it even worse was now he had something precious to protect, a soul far more important to him than any other in his kingdom, a mate he'd die for in an instant.

He wouldn't admit to anyone that he was afraid of what was to come, afraid that she would be taken from him, either through death, or by her own Lord. He knew she had come to him without Lord Makarov's knowledge, and he knew the old man wasn't going to be happy upon hearing of their mating, even if it did mean a full alliance. If death took her, then there was nothing he could do but accept that as fate, closing off his heart again to become the cold and ruthless dragon lord he had been before, until the time came for him to follow after her. But if her own people took her, he would fight them to the bitter end to get her back. With so many worries assailing his mind, he needed to bask in the brightness of her soul now more than ever to wash them away.

It was all too soon when he felt her coming undone in his arms, moaning his name as he sped up, growling into her shoulder as he followed her over that edge, emptying into her as he held her tightly. They laid there; panting to catch their breath, enjoying the afterglow with their limbs tangled together, neither willing to move away, just wishing to extend the peaceful moment that much longer. Levy turned over in the large man's arms, sending him an exhausted smile as he frowned at her, his arms still locked tight around her waist. With a small giggle, she leaned up to leave a light peck on his lips, taking away his permanent scowl as he quickly returned the gesture a hundredfold, capturing her lips in a searing kiss that had him considering coaxing her into another round.

Unfortunately their early morning activities were brought to a screeching halt as a panicked knocking sounded at their door, a soldier on the other side hurriedly calling for his lord to come at once. With a sigh and irritated growl, Gajeel forced himself out of bed and away from his mate, leaving her with a parting kiss before quickly getting dressed and stomping out the door, barking at the terrified man as he sent him a dark glare.

"This had better be a fucking emergency, or I'll send you into the dungeons for interrupting my time with my mate!" The dragon lord hollered, dragging his soldier away by the scruff of his neck before he could peek into the bedroom and possibly get a glimpse of the nude woman tucked safely within.

"Yes, of course, My Lord! It's the Southern Border; it's currently under siege by a division of Grimoire's army. General Totomaru has just been brought to our infirmary after his troops faced massive casualties; he's asking to speak with you immediately."

"Totomaru?" Gajeel mumbled in disbelief, hurrying down through the hallways to get to his medical wing and see his other General's condition.

Totomaru was his next most trusted soldier after Patherlily, the man a longtime friend he had practically grown up with. The dragon lord had entrusted the southern border to the man, the region home to many half-demons because of its proximity to the demon kingdom, Grimoire Heart, Totomaru himself coming from that area. Despite its greater distance from Gajeel's capital and fortress, as well as the population demon status, the people there were just as fiercely loyal to their Lord as the rest. They fought to protect the dragon's lands, holding far more respect for the man then for their demonic kin across the border.

When Gajeel stormed into the infirmary, he took in the sight of his second general being bandaged and stitched by multiple doctors, his head laid back on a pillow with his eyes closed as he waited for them to finish. At the dragon lord's entrance, Totomaru opened one eye to take in the man's scowling face, his own face a stoic mask as he waited for his friend to stomp over to his bedside.

"What happened?" Gajeel growled darkly, his deep worry hidden by his irritated tone.

"Didn't the soldier tell you?" Totomaru began, his eye shutting again to block out the pain of his many wounds. "We were attacked, and on a far larger scale than we have ever been."

The dragon lord glared at the general, even though the other man couldn't see it, waiting for what exactly his friend felt he needed to hear urgently enough to drag him there so quickly.

"I heard news of your mating," the veteran soldier continued, "and our alliance with the elves. Congratulations."

Gajeel glowered at the man, impatient, yet curious as to the half-demon general's words, feeling that there was a deeper meaning to them.

"It seems word got across the border, too," Totomaru continued, once more opening an eye to send his lord a knowing and guarded look his way, "appears we have a rat within our ranks."

"Who?"

"There was one crucial solider missing in action at the time of Grimoire's attack; I suspect he's the spy we're looking for. Aria, who had been a loyal Lieutenant General under former Lord Jose, before you seized control ten years ago; he vanished a few hours before the siege.

Gajeel growled at the name of the former lord of his lands, the man he had at one time worked for, giving Jose his protection until he grew sick of the older man's poor leadership. Jose had sought to go to war with the Elven kingdom Gajeel was now allied with, the half-demon man just as intolerant of the more peaceful and light race as Grimoire Heart's Lord. By that time Gajeel had already fought Natsu and lost, supposedly a prelude to the war Jose wanted to bring. That loss is what lead to the dragon's coup, the younger man seeing for himself that his kingdom, then called Phantom, would be laid to waste if they attempt to go through with the war.

The civil war had been quick, Jose no match for the army Gajeel had put together; many of the former lord's own soldiers defecting, unwilling to face a dragon of Kurogane's stature. When it was all over, Jose was exiled to Grimoire's lands, along with any of his followers that did not surrender and pledge their allegiance to the new dragon lord. The man, Aria, that Totomaru had spoken of; had bowed down after his defeat, accepting Gajeel as his new leader, despite being one of Jose's most loyal men.

"Grimoire Heart has been slowly positioning themselves against us, but up until a week ago it had only been a few minor skirmishes along the border," the general continued, breaking Gajeel out of his thoughts on the past. "About one week ago, shortly after I received Lily's letter about the alliance, they upped their forces exponentially, culminating in a large scale attack two nights ago. I lost nearly half of my men, but we managed to push them back, unfortunately, though, our defenses are far too weak now to sustain another battle."

"I'll send more troops immediately," Gajeel said, his hand clenching in a fist as that foreboding atmosphere was sinking upon him again, "and I'll hunt down the traitor myself."

With that declaration, the dragon lord stomped back out of the room, leaving his old friend to rest and men before he inevitably went back to his post.

It was official now; they were at war.

* * *

Natsu, after weeks of rest, much of it by force, was finally recovered and ready to leave the Celestial Realm, returning to his home and his mission as the height of the war could be felt coming. The night before he planned to leave, Lucy had insisted, without much effort needed, that the dragon join her for one last meal, knowing he needed the fuel in case he ran into any more opposition.

"So, Natsu," the blonde princess began, "I was curious who it was you were looking for before being injured."

"Hmmm, yeah, I was going to find the Sky Dragon, Wendy," the young man explained after pausing in his rapid eating, "with our Lord injured as heavily as he is, we really need her help."

"Wendy?" Lucy asked, slightly startled as she recognized the dragon lord watching over the lands neighboring her own. "She's so young, though, and I never thought she was one for battle."

"Well, she is young, and it's true she's normally peaceful, nothing like me and metal-head," Natsu responded, scratching his head as he spoke, "but she uses a form of healing magic that we desperately need, plus she has forms of support magic and a few battle techniques."

The blonde frowned as the dragon went back to his meal, her mind lost in thought as she watched the seemingly carefree man before her. He had so much that should be weighing on his mind and heart with his home being caught up in a war against dark, demonic forces, the situation so grim that he felt it necessary to get aide from a pacifistic dragon, and yet he was still as bright and cheerful as ever. On closer inspection, though, if one were paying attention, she could see the worry lines creasing around his eyes whenever his thoughts drifted to his friends, his jaw clenching and eyes darkening when he thought on the battles he'd seen. During his time with them, they had spoken about the conditions the elves faced against Grimoire, the state of their army and their civilians, but rarely did they speak on it for long before Natsu changed the topic, the dragon distracting himself from thinking of such dark subjects.

"Hey, so do you know Wendy?" Natsu's voice suddenly broke in, pulling the young woman from her thoughts as she looked up from her barely touched meal to see he had finished eating everything else laid out on the table.

"Of course," Lucy answered with a nod, "her lands border mine, so we've met from time to time on friendly terms. On top of that, the emergency path to her domain for dragons and Exceed skirts our barrier."

"I didn't think you were allowed to leave this realm?"

"Well, I can, just not often," the blonde explained, pushing away her bowl as she explained more of her life within the Celestial Realm, "and Wendy's been here, too."

"I thought the barrier kept people out, though?" Natsu asked in confusion, his head turned slightly as he frowned at her.

"Yes, it does, but there is an entrance to our lands, it's just heavily restricted and normally only meant for us to leave when we need to. We can't possibly be so isolated or else I wouldn't even be here."

"What do you mean you wouldn't be here? You're a spirit, right?"

With a heavy sigh, Lucy glanced at her ever present butler spirit, Capricorn, the goat nodding at her silent question, letting her go on with a long overdue explanation of her history.

"I'm not a spirit, at least not completely," the princess began, chewing her lower lip in thought as she sought the best way to explain her heritage. "Generations ago the Spirit King fell in love with a mortal outside of this realm, after their marriage the woman gave birth to a single daughter. That daughter was the first of its kind, the product of an immortal spirit and a mortal being, and held a magic that allowed her to command other spirits and utilize spells created in this realm. The girl, the first princess, then married another spirit, further infusing celestial magic into the new bloodline, and gave birth to a daughter of her own. That daughter married a mortal, and had a girl of her own, and so on down the line until it came to me. My mother married a mortal man, and had me, the magic found in the original princess passed on to me just as it had throughout the millennia."

Lucy paused for a moment to see Natsu was still paying attention to her, much to her surprise, before continuing with the history of the spirit realm.

"While the blood of every princess since the first is that of a spirit, their body is mortal, so Grandfather erected the barrier to protect the mortals born of spirits, the royal line, especially. There are a few other families of mixed breeding, their offspring carrying similar abilities to the King's line, just not with the depth of power available to the princesses. In order for these families to thrive as they are, they must be able to contact the mortal realm, so the King built a single gate to permit passage between the realms as long as those entering abided by his rules."

"So, you're a half-spirit?" Natsu asked when she seemed to be done with her long explanation, the man smiling widely when she nodded to confirm his understanding. "So what's the other half?"

Here Lucy shrugged, "that's a bit more complicated since every princess wed differently, so it's become very mixed."

"Well then, what about the first?"

"Hmmm," the blonde hummed in thought, unsure of the answer as she turned to Capricorn again.

"She was a fairy, actually, Princess."

"Really!? That's so cool!" Natsu yelled out in excitement, Lucy giggling at his reaction even as she was a little shocked to hear of that part of her history, "the lands I protect originally belonged to the fairies, but now they're hard to find, the only trace of their existence in the elves, and now you. Oh! Any dragons in the family tree?"

"No, no dragons," Capricorn answered as the dragon lord turned to direct the question his way, "not yet, at least."

"That'd be amazing if you had a dragon in the family, too!" The pink-haired man exclaimed, grinning wildly at a now blushing Lucy. "Hey! I just got an idea! You know Wendy, so how about you come with me to see her, and maybe while you're out there you'll find a dragon to marry!"

"What!?" The princess spluttered, her cheeks reddening even more as she stared wide-eyed at the dragon lord across from her, Capricorn equally shocked behind her, even if he hid it better. "I can't go out into a war-zone just like that!"

"Oh yeah, it is pretty dangerous out there right now," Natsu pouted, obviously disappointed that he couldn't take the woman with him, "maybe after the war is over, then."

Lucy's shock had melted into her own forlorn expression, the woman frowning as she realized there was no way to know if the man would even survive the war. She didn't care about meeting a dragon to marry or anything like that, she just wanted to see the world, and most of all she found herself wanting to do that with the dragon lord that had invited her. A defeated sigh coming from the goat spirit behind her had the princess turning to look at the man's slightly guarded expression as he moved to address her.

"Actually, Princess, there is a way."

* * *

**Oh, and another big thank you to all of my reviewers- keep 'em coming. ^_^**

**Just read ch. 300, too... That fucking asshole guild master got what he deserved, that's all I'll say on that right now. Poor Sting. T.T  
**


	17. Author's Note :(

_So, first, I'd like to apologize to everyone following this fic. I know you've all been waiting patiently (for the most part, but I'll get to that) for the past two weeks. I'm currently going through a bit of writer's block at the moment that seems determined to prevent me from focusing on my Fairy Tail fandom. I know I said I would try to keep to weekly updates, and with a few exceptions here and there, I've kept to that, but unfortunately it does not always work out. At this moment I'm working on the first chapter of another request fic I've owed a wonderful follower for over a month now (I haven't forgotten about you mistress0), in the hopes that it will help break me out of this writing funk. So far, it was working, and I was hoping to go on to the next chapter for Kurogane tonight or tomorrow, but now I'm not so sure if I'll be able to do that. Which brings me to my reason for the ever loathed author's note._

_To the guest reviewer signing as Almond: I'm very glad you have been enjoying this fic so far… you know, except for all that pesky romance I put in it. I unfortunately can't respond to your reviews privately since you are a guest, but I feel your last review requires a response from me, which means I have no choice but to make it public. I do not, in any way, appreciate being called a 'nooby hag' just because it's been two weeks since my last update. As I said before, I'm going through a bit of writer's block… it happens, and I know those who have been following me since my first published fic can attest to the fact that I do my very best in keeping to a regular, near weekly, schedule. Unfortunately, I have a life outside of writing (detest it as I may) that comes with a full-time job, a husband, friends, bills, stress, etc., so forth, and so on… and those things tend to get in the way of me and my precious laptop. I am not a machine, I am not chained to my computer 24/7 with nothing to do but write, and I hope after this you can understand that and learn to be patient and polite just as my other readers are. I'm fine getting the occasional review politely urging me to continue on because a reader looks forward to more, but please cease acting like a spoiled brat and calling me a ridiculously immature name. If I get any more reviews like that in the future from guest reviewers, I will disable the guest review option, which I think is unfair to those who use it properly._

_Now, once again, I'd like to apologize to my beautiful, wonderful, amazingly sweet readers. I hope that after I've had a chance to calm down and am not blinded by rage over such a petty, unnecessary review, I'll be able to get you all that next chapter you've been waiting for. I really don't like to keep you waiting, but I know most of you understand that it happens. Also, I was saving this for my next update, but since my hand was forced I'll announce it now: I've set up a blog on tumblr (secondary to my main one for anyone who actually follows me) so I can take prompts for one-shots and drabbles in the hopes that they will help get the creative juices flowing once again. If any of you are interested, here's the address, just remove the spaces:_

_kagehime3prompts. tumblr. com  
_

_The first, and currently only, post there is my guidelines so requesters can know in advance if there's anything I'll say 'no' to. I will post stories there, mostly, especially if you request something even more risqué than what I write here._

_I thank you all for being patient with this absolutely horrid author's note, I truly appreciate each and every one of you... except when you call me a 'nooby hag.'_


	18. Foreboding Air Sinks Over the Lands

**Finally! An update for you all!**

**Again, I'd like to apologize for the author's note, I dislike having those in the middle of ongoing stories, I know it gets everyone's hopes up, but I was really pissed. I'm thinking it was the hag part of the review that got to me... I'm in my late twenties... you don't call any woman a hag, but the older she gets, the worse it is. Normally I don't let those things get to me, but at the same time I'm not going to let someone think they can get away with such rude behavior in reviews.  
**

**I'd also like to thank everyone who left reviews for my author's note- you all are great and helped give me that boost in ego I needed to get focused on this update again.  
**

**Anyway, enough of me boring you, please enjoy the new chapter! It's kind of a build-up to some battles/ suspense chapter, so I hope you all like it.  
**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail or the characters, they belong to Hiro Mashima**

* * *

His heavy boots stomped through the halls of the fortress, the sound echoing; the metal clang reminiscent of the chains meant to bind dark souls to the depths of hell. His chest vibrated with his constant growl, his anger rising with every step he took. More and more he looked like the iron dragon he was; sharp metallic scales highlighting his cheek bones, dagger like claws where once blunt human nails were found, his already prominent canines looking all the more deadly as he snarled to himself.

Gajeel had never been so angry in his life. As much as he hated traitors, this was the first to incite such a deep level of rage in him. He knew the reason for this, too. There had never been a time before where a traitor had brought him near crippling fear. He'd only admit it to himself, but he was afraid, so terrified that it angered him, spurring him into action to prevent any of the dark visions running through his mind from happening. It clawed at his stomach when he realized that with this betrayal there was one person in his kingdom at greater risk than anyone, and should anything happen to her; he knew that would spell the end of everything for him.

With a resounding thud, the iron dragon stormed through the door to his chambers, startling his mate, who was enjoying her breakfast in bed, clad in a silken robe to preserve her dignity around his servants. Her wide brown eyes watched as he made his way across the room, entering his closet without a word to prepare for his mission. When he came back out a few minutes later, he dared to let his own eyes glance at her, meeting her confused and fearful gaze as he adjusted his few plates of armor.

"You're not to leave this room until I come back," he grunted at her, moving to tie a simple green headband over his forehead to keep his long hair back.

"What? Where are you going? What's happened?" Levy asked, crawling across the bed as she watched him move around the room, her tone slightly panicked as she realized whatever took the man from her earlier must have been serious.

"It's nothing, I'm just hunting down a traitor," Gajeel responded, forcing his voice to be as toneless as possible to not give away how nervous he was.

It didn't work, though, as the young elf pulled herself up from the bed, steadily making her way across the room to him. He watched her, his eyes guarded, as she wrapped her arms around his waist, her head pressing against his chest as she held him tight. After a moment's hesitation, he let his arms slowly drift around her to return the embrace, one hand moving to wind itself into her wavy blue tresses, while the other wrapped around her shoulders, pulling her closer as he pressed his face into her hair.

"Why are you scared?" She quietly asked, bravely ignoring his irritated, half-hearted growl released at the question.

"I'm not," he muttered, even as his arms tightened their hold a little more, his nose inhaling her scent deeply so he wouldn't ever forget it.

"I'll be fine," she reassured, "but at least let me have enough freedom to go to the library while you're away."

"I'll have the servants bring you whatever books you need," Gajeel argued back, stubbornly refusing to let her out of their chambers when not even his most trusted generals were around to protect her.

With a deep, defeated sigh, Levy nodded in agreement, sensing that her mate wasn't going to let her have her way this time. She could feel his reluctance in the way he held her, his arms feeling desperate, as if he wanted to bring her whole body into his, keeping her safe and with him until the very end.

After a few silent minutes, Gajeel gave the woman one last squeeze of his arms before pulling away slightly, bending down as he tilted her face up to his so he could leave her with surprisingly soft kiss. His eyes bored into hers as he pulled away again, urging her to understand the deep seeded need for her safety in that moment. Without another word shared between them, the iron dragon strode purposefully from the room, the heavy sound of the door shutting leaving him with a feeling of finality, an ominous feeling washing over his soul.

Little did he know, that lurking in the shadows, those terror filled nightmares were about to become a reality.

* * *

She could feel the presence stalking them, a figure cast in shadows tracking them as they made their way through the forest. Ultear wasn't entirely sure what to make of it, but she at least knew it was only a matter of time before they decided to attack. Silently she fell back from the group, the human men belonging to Kurogane's army already on the alert, but she didn't want to disturb the happy reunion between Meredy and Juvia, the women's laughter the only thing brightening the dark atmosphere.

Her eyes swept over the terrain around them, looking for any clue of who they may be facing, and how long they had to prepare for what was to come. She wasn't naïve; while they may have numbers in their favor, Hades wasn't the type to send someone after her and Meredy if he didn't think they could handle other fighters. Whoever was out there, he was strong; there was no denying that for her.

"Ultear," Gray's deep voice broke into her thoughts, the elf keeping his tone quiet so as not to distract the others, "what is it?"

"We're being followed," she replied simply, her mind as alert as ever, "they've been on us for the past day."

Gray hummed in understanding, his eyes stealthily searching the area as he did.

"When they decide to attack, I want you to take Meredy and run," she continued, sending the elf a determined look as she spoke. "We're still a day away from the capital, you need to get Kurogane's troops there to report to Lord Makarov, and I need Meredy safe. I'll cover for you and catch up later."

As much as he wanted to argue with his sister's reasoning, he knew he couldn't, she was only being reasonable. It was important that he get to the castle, the kingdom needed to regroup, especially now with another dragon lord becoming an ally, and the information of an eminent attack. So instead of insisting on staying behind to help, should the situation arise, he nodded in agreement, his eyes once more turned forward to the road ahead.

A tense silence descended over them then, the human soldiers even picking up on the change in atmosphere coming from the pair trailing behind them. Juvia and Meredy brought their conversation to a halt, as well, their attention turning to their friends, sending them questioning looks that received no more answer than a nod. It was the only gesture they needed then, in a time of war one learns the importance of communicating with as few spoken words as possible, unwilling to alert nearby enemies to the thoughts being passed between comrades.

All it took was the rustle of a few branches and the group stopped in their tracks, everyone standing ready for the inevitable.

* * *

The forest was silent, eerily quiet as he made his way back to his small group of followers. Bright blue eyes swept the trees, anticipation running through his veins, still there was nothing but quiet. He was near the southern border, only a few hundred yards from Grimoire's lands, and only a little over a day's walk from Fairy Tail's capital.

When he had been exiled, Laxus found himself wandering, contemplating his life up until that point, until he heard of the increasing aggression from their demon neighbors. When news came to him of Grimoire's war against the elves, courtesy of a destroyed town overrun by the enemy, the elven heir took a post at the border, ready to cut off as many attacks as he could. He had been mostly successful, slowing the war until Hades' learned of his camp and found ways around him, eventually finding a way in himself to critically wound his fellow lord.

That was when they found him. His Raijinshuu had been searching for weeks, desperately scouring the kingdom in the hopes of finding the rightful heir, the man with the power to help carry their people through such hard times. When they found him, they said they weren't going to leave without him, remaining by his side just as they had promised to in the beginning. He refused to return, though, stubbornly keeping his post, seeing it as a form of reparation for the things he had done to his own kin.

At least that was his plan until he found them. The demon elf's siblings, her only family, the single most important thing in her world; broken and battered, completely surrounded, and still refusing to give up against the rogue demon army standing against them. Elfman was barely standing when he and his Raijinshuu had arrived, the large man shielding his younger sister from a barrage of attacks. The two had taken on a group thirty men strong, at that time there were only about ten left, but they had hit their limit long before.

Laxus took them out with a single attack, striking through the army, a bolt of lightning far too powerful for any to stand against. It was at that moment, watching as Lisanna supported her brother, holding him up before his wounded body could hit the ground; that he knew he had to return. He didn't expect his grandfather to welcome him with open arms, he wasn't so foolish, but at the least he knew he wouldn't be turned away when offering his aid, something even the old man understood his forces needed desperately then.

Seeing Mira again, hearing of Jellal's return, Natsu's unknown whereabouts, and Levy's journey to Kurogane's lands; those just reaffirmed the decision he had made. He wouldn't turn back on his kingdom, his family; the people who still cared about him, despite everything he had done to torment them in the past. Now wasn't the time to be scattered about the lands, everyone needed to come together and put an end to this pointless war.

Laxus was broken from his thoughts as an explosion rocked the forest around him, pushing him to break into a run and head towards the clearing his group had made camp in. As he broke through the trees, he came to a halt at the sight of his teammates and the Strauss siblings scattered over the area, practically growling in anger as he took in the scene. A single figure standing in the center assessing the damage with a cold, uncaring eye; tree roots sprouting up from the ground and heading for the fallen Fairy Tail soldiers, obviously at his command.

"So boring," Azuma sighed, his arms crossed as he slowly turned his attention to the blond that had arrived, a small smirk gracing his face as he stared him down, "I finally find a way into this forest's trees, and I only have weaklings to fight. Hopefully the Lord's grandson can provide a better warm-up."

With a bright flash of lightning, a new battle had begun.

* * *

**Bet y'all didn't expect that last one... Ever sense bringing Laxus into this, I've had Azuma vs. Laxus in mind, don't know why, it's just a match-up I'd like to see. XD  
**

**One more little note in case a few of you didn't read in the author note last chapter- I set up a tumblr blog dedicated to taking prompts and requests for drabbles and one-shots. I know a few of you have already begun following it, and I do intend to put up some of my work there... particularly anything further into the smut realm, seeing as I have so many fellow perverts following me. XD Anyway, for anyone interested the blog is kagehime3prompts . tumblr . com. I am allowing anon requests, btw, but just like with guest reviews here, if anyone abuses that, then I'll disable it.**

**Also, I'm finishing up the first chapter of a request fic for mistress0, so I should have that up in the next day or two... it will have a lemon, for those who enjoy them.  
**


	19. Hope Blooms in the Heart, Danger Ahead

**YAY! Update! So, for those of you who might have been hoping for some action this chapter after I left you hanging with Ultear and Laxus... well... that's just not my style, at least not with this fic, so be patient a little longer. XD You'll get your battles soon, don't worry. If you haven't noticed, I tend to jump from character to character between chapters, the only consistent characters being Gajeel and Levy- most of the time, so I will jump back to the battles in the next chapter. For now, please enjoy some good ole' GaLe, NaLu, and, of course, Jerza! I couldn't resist the Jerza feels, and with the anime episode today, I think it's perfect timing to keep the feels going, so I hope you all like what I did for them this chapter.**

**Anyway, enough of my rambling.  
**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail or the characters, they belong to Hiro Mashima.**

* * *

Black scales, iridescent in the sun splashing through the low clouds, decorated his sleek form. His large wings pushed him through the sky, his speed creating strong winds that tore through the forests below. His teeth and talons glinted dangerously as he snarled, holding back his anger as his red eyes focused intently on the lands before him.

His pride called out for him to find the traitor, capture him once and for all, and torture him ruthlessly until he had all the information and vengeance he needed. He would never stand for such betrayal, and now that he had something far more precious to protect, his very soul screamed at him that this meant she was in danger. His mind urged him to take the direct approach, find Aria and stifle the risk as quickly as possible.

Gajeel's eyes narrowed dangerously as he skirted the southern border of his lands, his flight coming to a halt mid-air as he swept his gaze over the trees. He looked forward, into the neighboring kingdom, his sight taking in the rich, green foliage slowing disappearing, rocky desert, devoid of life, seemingly swallowing the fauna.

His own lands had a dark, foreboding nature to them, the thick forests, rocky fjords at the coast, and mostly gloomy weather, gave Kurogane's lands a reputation of being unapproachable and dangerous. Yet there was life, there was relative peace. Grimoire's lands were of an entirely different variety, the dry sand and stone seemed to rule over all forms of life. The air itself draining the weakest creatures of their will to live, while the stronger changed into rabid, uncontrollable beasts barely clinging to life themselves, devouring any unable to oppose them. The more sentient demons, those who shared a human form with the other races, ruled over the domain with an absolute authority, answering to only one man who stood above them all.

As he idly contemplated the stark differences in the terrain, the dragon lord could feel a terrifying sense of foreboding weigh down on his soul. Everything around him was quiet, deathly silent at a degree one with his heightened sense could never know. At the very least he should be able to pick up the rustling of leaves from an animal scurrying along the ground, or the faint chirping of a swallow flying from branch to branch. Even Grimoire before him, completely devoid of meaningful life, should still contain the sounds of demons hunting, fighting, screaming out in misery and pain; yet there was nothing. It was as if the very lands were frightened, waiting for an event to happen that he couldn't even begin to imagine.

Something was wrong.

Something was very, very wrong.

With a force like a spike piercing his heart, Gajeel knew, realization dawning on him as his soul was once more screaming at him. An enraged roar left his throat as he spun around, flying as fast as his body would allow him.

He had to get back to her.

He could feel it approaching her, and his mind could only think of one word. Death.

* * *

Ten golden keys laid out before her, her brown eyes inspecting them carefully before she reached out a hand to brush over the intricate metal lovingly. After taking a moment to reflect on the pieces, she glanced up to meet the eyes of Capricorn, her trusted butler, bodyguard, teacher, and advisor. He had been so many things to her in life, and now he was the one to give her a gift she never knew existed.

"These keys, Lucy-sama, will allow you to travel with all of your contracted spirits without bringing attention to them," he explained, a sharp finger going to tap on the key with the symbol representing him. "We will always be at your side, whenever you need us, to protect you, to fight for you, to guide you. Whatever you may need, we won't be far."

Capricorn had explained to both her and Natsu that the ten keys opened gates that her spirits could pass through at any time, the items created by the spirit king should any of his daughters choose to leave his realm for an extended period of time. Up until that point, they hadn't been needed often, princesses only leaving for a short trip to neighboring lands in peaceful times, only required one or two spirits to accompany her. Traveling in the middle of a war, though, was far too dangerous, but the extra protection necessary would be far too cumbersome and attention drawing for the princess. The keys allowed Lucy's spirits to remain in their realm but keep a close watch on her until she needed them, the stronger and more dedicated spirits even capable of opening their gate to her on their own.

"So, Lucy can come with me!?" Natsu asked excitedly, glancing between the blonde woman and her goat spirit, who seemed to be sharing a somewhat solemn mood.

"Yes, she can," Capricorn began after a moment's pause, his eyes still on the princess as he spoke, his tone carrying a serious weight to it, letting both the dragon and girl understand his discontent with the situation, "but on one condition."

Natsu watched; his head cocked to the side in confusion, as the spirit finally turned to face him, a clawed hand over his chest as he bowed his head slightly to the dragon lord.

"Natsu-sama, I will only allow Lucy-sama's leave if you swear upon your very soul that you will protect her and remain steadfastly by her side." He said, raising his eyes again to glance at the surprised girl in question. "She is far more important to us than either of you could ever understand."

The dragon lord's normally cheerful persona was washed away with the spirit's single request, a condition that certainly weighed heavily on his heart. Turning amber eyes to Lucy, who was still staring in shock at the goat before her, he drank in the sight of her, frowning as he found himself delving into thoughts far more serious than he had ever had in the past. He knew in that moment that Capricorn was speaking the truth, she was important; he could feel that thought tugging at him. He didn't know why she was special to the spirits, or to him, but he couldn't deny that she was.

"I swear," Natsu spoke up after a moment of contemplative silence, his eyes still holding steadily on the woman, alight with a fire that had her own eyes captured when she turned to look at him. "I swear I will protect her with my very life"

Lucy was stuck in a perpetual state of shock in that moment, not noticing the hint of a smile on Capricorn's face as he nodded at the dragon lord. She had only just met this man a few weeks ago, and yet he seemed adamant in extending his protection to her, the look in his eyes telling her he was just as dedicated to her as her beloved spirits. She couldn't understand why, but it had her heart skipping a beat, breath hitching, as she felt her cheeks warm with a soft blush.

"Then she may go with you, Natsu-sama," Capricorn's sure voice broke into the princess' thoughts, bringing a gasp from her lips as she turned her face away in the hopes to hide her pink cheeks. The spirit seemed to be holding back an amused chuckle as he turned back to the woman, collecting the keys to offer to her once more as he bowed low to her. "Lucy-sama, please, do not hesitate for even a moment to call one of us. We are bound to you, and will do anything you ask of us."

With tears prickling her eyes, Lucy looked up at her spirit, nodding slightly as a shaky hand took hold of the polished keys. As soon as they were in her grasp, held tight against her chest, she waited for Capricorn to stand straight once more before launching herself at him, wrapping an arm around his waist in a hug.

"Thank you, I love you all," she whispered to him, smiling through her tears as he returned the gesture, a hand atop her head, while the other wrapped around her shoulders.

Even though they would still be with her, she couldn't help but get the feeling that this was a farewell. Things were changing quickly for her, and the moment she left the realm, she knew nothing was ever going to be the same.

As her brown eyes turned to see Natsu's happy and carefree smile, the weight of everything gone from his face once more; she knew then that, no matter what happened, she wasn't going to regret anything.

* * *

She awoke to the sound of very recognizable giggling echoing around her, the tinkling, barely stifled laughter pulling her from her comfortable slumber. She couldn't remember exactly when she had fallen asleep, but she knew her body must have been desperate for the rest.

Her red hair was fanned around her, falling over her shoulder and just barely hiding her face as her head rested comfortably on its pillow. As Erza was drowsily trying to remember where she had been upon falling asleep, she was startled completely awake by the feeling of her pillow moving beneath her, a deep groan vibrating from it. With now wide eyes she slowly tilted her head up, finding Jellal's sleeping face leaning close to her own, his blue hair gently brushing against her forehead as he shifted in his sleep. It was then that she felt his arm wrapping beneath her and around her waist, holding her close in his slumber, his other hand lightly rested on the arm she had lying on his chest, his fingertips subtly brushing over her skin in a random and careless fashion.

As she once more heard that familiar laughter ringing nearby, she tore her eyes away from the man to glare at the white haired woman standing by the door. She knew her face was a deep shade of red in her embarrassment, but she wasn't about to back down from the other woman now that she was rested.

The demon elf slowly came further into the room, smiling sweetly at her friend as she forced back any further amusement so that she could have a calm discussion with Erza. Nodding her head to the side, she motioned for the red-head to follow her out to the balcony attached to Jellal's recovery room, waiting patiently as the woman gently detached herself from the man in the hopes he wouldn't awaken with her movement.

"What is it, Mira?" Erza whispered quietly once they were out in the night air, her eyes narrowing in confusion as she wonder how long she had slept for.

"It's been nearly a full day," Mira answered her unasked question, smiling at the woman as she leaned over the balcony railing to peer up at the waning moon hanging in the sky. "You truly were quite exhausted; if things were different I wouldn't have woken you just now."

Erza felt her cheeks warm again as she sent an appreciative nod to her longtime friend, coming to lean back against the railing next to her, her bare arms crossed over her chest to block out the cold of the night. Her eyes drifted to the closed balcony door, her thoughts once more wandering to the man resting inside and what brought him back to her in such a state. As she clenched her jaw she wondered when they would find their peace, so much of their lives spent in strife, at odds with each other at one moment, then forced to separate in another. Now they found themselves together once more, but with a war to face, now was not the time to rejoice and rekindle what once had been lost, if that was even possible to begin with.

"Laxus is returning," Mira soft voice once again shook Erza from her thoughts, startling her as she turned to look at the woman next to her. The white haired woman's eyes stayed trained on the sky before her, though the knight could see she knew where her mind had wandered, a gentle smile barely perceptible on her face. "Hopefully with him we'll finally have everyone together again, we'll finally have the strength to stand against Grimoire."

"Have you told Lord Makarov yet?"

"No," she said, shaking her head as she frowned in thought, "I'm not sure what his reaction will be at this point, and I don't want to shock or anger him with his injuries right now. I'll tell him soon, though."

"Was that all you had to tell me? Have you heard news from anyone else?"

"I know my family is with Laxus and his Raijinshuu, and that is all. We haven't gotten word from any of our missing fighters, or Ultear and Meredy, or Levy," Mira answered quietly once again, turning her soft blue eyes back to the other woman as she stood straight to leave after delivering her short message. "I can't help but feel, though, that everyone is where they need to be, and it's only a matter of time before we finally see an end to this conflict."

With that said, and another soft smile, she left Erza to her thoughts, the red head turning to stare up at the moon herself. Once more alone, she found her thoughts wandering, concern for her lost friends weighing on her even as she considered the old friend she was reunited with again. She didn't know if Jellal's coming back to her was a sign to have hope that the others were alright, but she felt her heart hoping it was.

"You'll catch cold if you stand out her any longer," the deep voice belonging to the main subject of her thoughts sounded out behind her just as a warm shawl was draped over her shoulders.

Her startled eyes turned to see Jellal standing behind her, his bandaged torso covered by a simple robe. She couldn't believe she had been so lost in thought again that she hadn't heard him come out of the room, something that was far from normal for her. Erza found herself blushing again under his steady gaze, turning her sight back out to the world before them as he kept his body close behind her, sharing his warmth with her as they basked in the silence.

"What has your mind so lost, Erza?" Jellal practically whispered to her, strong hands moving to wrap around her arms firmly, running over them as a slight shiver passed through her body.

"I don't even know where to begin," she responded just as quietly, her body sinking back against his as she reveled in his proximity, even as she kept her head bowed to hide her pink cheeks. "So much has happened, is going to happen, and yet my thoughts keep coming back to the same thing."

He didn't have to ask her to elaborate to understand what she meant, her hand moving to rest on one of his, their fingers entangling slightly over her arm telling him all he needed to know. Without another word he leaned down to rest his head on her shoulder, sighing as he felt that same weight on his heart, his own thoughts mirrored her own many times over the years, wondering when they'd be in the same place long enough to find what they were missing. As much as he wanted to think now was the best time, he didn't dare act on it, his conscience still holding him back as their past hung heavily on his soul. For now, all they could do was continue to dance around their shared feelings, the bond that could never be broken, and hope that one day everything could be right again.

In that quiet they could have known peace, even if only for a second, but they could feel the heavy weight settling in the atmosphere, their minds once more focused on the war hanging over their heads. Erza stiffened in Jellal's arms as he tightened his grip on her. They could both sense something very big was heading their way, something far worse they could imagine.

Soon, very soon, everything would come crashing down around them.

* * *

A soft knocking on the door drew Levy's attention away from her book, her eyes confused as she wondered who might be there. She hadn't requested anything from the servants, she had already had her dinner brought to her, along with a large stack of books to read; something didn't quite feel right, but within the safety of Gajeel's fortress she couldn't imagine there being anything to worry over.

With a sigh she pulled herself out of bed to plod over to the door as the knocking continued once more, a somewhat more urgent note to the sound than there was before. As she reached for the knob, she found herself hesitating, once more that strange foreboding feeling washed over her. Shaking her head to clear the worrisome thoughts, she slowly turned the knob and opened the door, her eyes finding no one there as they swept over the hallway.

"Lady Levy," a quiet voice whispered, drawing her eyes down to find the source of the knocking. One of her chambermaids was laid out on the floor before her, her arm raised as she sent her a terrified and pleading look. Throughout the hall she could now see servants and guards scattered about, unconscious expect for this sole woman, who seemed determined to deliver her message, her warning, before succumbing to whatever happened to her. "Lady Levy…. Run!"

The sudden feeling of a presence behind her had Levy frozen in her spot for a moment, the blue-haired elf turning slowly to find a large and imposing man standing only inches from her. His eyes were blindfolded, his silence far more intimidating than her own mate could be in all his rage.

"So sorrowful," he spoke to Levy's surprise, the sound breaking into her paralyzed state as she found herself backing away from him, careful not to trip over her now unconscious servant on the ground. "So, so sorrowful."

As his hand raised before him, her instincts took over, screaming for her to run as fast as she could. She wasn't about to ignore those urges, and spun on her heel to sprint away from the obviously dangerous man.

She didn't get far, though, before her world went black.

Somewhere in the deep recesses of her darkening mind, she could hear her own voice echoing.

"Gajeel!"

* * *

**Oh, and a big thank you to all of my reviewers again. XD**


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